Canarian potatoes (papas arrugadas) are a unique way of cooking potatoes. Long ago, Spanish settlers on the Canary Islands came up with the idea of boiling potatoes in seawater, since fresh water, as you can imagine, was always in short supply on the islands, while the ocean was never far away. The whole idea behind the method is that the potatoes are cooked in a strong brine. It might seem like the potatoes would turn out unbearably salty — but that's not the case at all, since they're cooked skin-on, they don't end up over-salted. Traditionally on the Canary Islands, these potatoes are served with mojo sauces — red mojo rojo (mojo rojo) and green mojo verde (mojo verde). I made a mild version of the sauces, particularly the red mojo rojo, since I'm not a fan of spicy food — but you can make them as spicy as you like by adding red chili powder or using fresh chili peppers. The result was absolutely delicious — I loved these Canarian potatoes. Thanks to cooking them in a strong brine, the potatoes taste almost like they've been roasted over a campfire, and the sauces are the perfect complement to the whole dish. So good — I highly recommend giving this one a try!
Ingredients:
- Potatoes:
- 1 kg potatoes
- 800 ml water
- 200 g salt
- Mojo Verde (Green Sauce):
- 1 green bell pepper (150 g)
- 3 sprigs of parsley
- 3 sprigs of dill
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp. wine or apple cider vinegar
- cumin, garlic (I used 0.3 tsp each)
- salt, pepper
- Mojo Rojo (Red Sauce):
- 1 red bell pepper (150 g)
- 1 tbsp. sweet paprika
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp. wine or apple cider vinegar
- cumin, garlic (I used 0.3 tsp each)
- salt, pepper
- red hot chili pepper to taste
How to cook Canarian potatoes with mojo verde and mojo rojo sauces
Wash the potatoes (small ones are preferable) and place them in a pot. Add enough water to just cover the potatoes. I chose a pot that fit the potatoes snugly — that way you need less water and, consequently, less salt. As a reminder, for 1 kg of potatoes I used 800 ml of water and 200 g of salt. If you need more water, increase the amount of salt accordingly.
I used sea salt, but I think regular table salt will work just as well. You can save the salted water to cook potatoes this way again next time — that way it's even more economical!)
Bring to a boil with the lid on, then cook uncovered for about 20–25 minutes until done. Turn the potatoes over a couple of times during cooking. It's not a good idea to poke the potatoes repeatedly with a knife to check for doneness — doing so breaks the skin and a pierced potato may end up too salty. Just check one potato with a toothpick to see if it's ready.
Traditionally the potatoes are left to cook until all the water evaporates, but in my opinion that's not necessary, so I just drained the water. Let the potatoes dry out a bit in the pot over low heat — they'll dry out and become coated in little salt crystals.
While the potatoes are cooking, let's make the sauces. Making the green sauce. Chop the bell pepper into rough pieces, place in a bowl, and add the herbs, vinegar, and spices.
Making the red sauce. Chop the bell pepper into rough pieces, place in a bowl, and add the paprika, vinegar, and spices.
Traditionally, the potatoes are served and eaten with the skin on, coated in salt. The only thing I'd suggest is that if it looks like there's a lot of salt on the outside, give the potatoes a quick pat with a paper towel. You could also give them a quick rinse under water, but that really won't be the same.)) Canarian potatoes with mojo verde and mojo rojo sauces are a truly unique dish, even though they're made from everyday ingredients! And of course, these potatoes can just as easily be served with any other sauce you like!
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