Canarian salted potatoes is a dish from the Canary Islands where they call it papas arrugadas. Papas arrugadas is probably one of the most representative dishes from the island and it is authentically cooked in seawater which gives the potatoes their salty crust. The first time I tried papas arrugadas was at a tapas bar in my home town. After one bite I was totally hooked!
When preparing them at home you cook the potatoes in water with a big amount of sea salt. They are very easy to prepare and fun to serve as a side dish, as a part of a buffet or together with a few other tapas. I always use early summer potato (new potato) which I believe gives you the best result as you cook them with the skin left on and this type has very thin skin. Surely in the Canarias they use a specific type of potato for this dish but I believe early/new potato is, without a doubt, your best choice if living in more northern latitudes.
In the Canary Islands you often eat papas arrugadas with the famous sauces mojo picón and mojo verde. In this recipe the potatoes are served with a seasonal herb mayo. The early summer has a lot of fresh herbs to offer and I was finally able to create the vegan herb mayo that I had been thinking of for so long. I am very satisfied with the result. It turned out exactly the way I wanted and it tasted so good together with the potatoes and radishes. Since using early/new potatoes and fresh herbs in this dish, it is only possible to prepare it in the summer. That makes it even more special!
Canarian Salted Potatoes & Vegan Herb Mayonnaise
Potatoes
- 1 kg new/early potatoes
- 250 g salt
- 1 l water
Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped basil
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 dl / 0.5 cup vegetable oil (canola, sunflower)
- 0.5 dl /0.25 cup plain soymilk (unsweetened)
- half a lemon – juice only
- 1 clove of garlic
- 0.5 tsp salt
Method:
Potatoes
- Clean the potatoes by scrubbing them carefully in water. The skins should be left on.
- Pour the salt and the water into a sauce pan and bring to boil. Add the potatoes and cook for about ten minutes until they are tender. Remove the potatoes from the water and set aside. Once the potatoes dry a bit you will see white salt crystals forming on the surface.
Mayonnaise
- Place all the ingredients for the mayo in a mixing container and blend with a stick blender until you receive a smooth green mayonnaise. Serve together with the Canarian potatoes and some fresh vegetables.
veggietown.net 