Wrinkled Potatoes with Red and Green Mojo

This weekend I had a rooftop dinner party with my dear friends Leah and Angel to celebrate the start of summer and the fact that I have a rooftop. (Even though it's tar and has no furniture, and we're not technically allowed up there,  it's still a hot commodity by Manhattan standards, and a good place for an evening picnic.) Angel is from Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago just off the northwest coast of Africa. So in his honor, we made papas arrugadas- baby"wrinkled potatoes" - with red and green mojo dipping sauces, a typical Canarian tapas.

The potatoes get their wrinkled skin and fine coat of crystallized salt from being boiled in very salty water, then drained and steamed. (The potatoes naturally retain just enough salt on their skin to enhance their fluffy interiors without tasting too salty.) The customary dipping sauces, a mojo verde with cilantro and a mojo rojo with smoked paprika, are garlicky, pungent, complex in flavor, and each very different from the other. They are quick to make, and you can use the leftover mojo on many things - grilled meats like steak and lamb chops, on pasta like a pesto, fish tacos....

These potatoes are perfect for a party: Bite-size finger food that everyone will eat. They're light, starchy, vegetarian, and gluten-free,  yet rich and savory enough for the carnivores. Most importantly, they soak up alcohol and they're easy to prepare with a few very inexpensive ingredients.

For every 2 pounds of potatoes (count on 1 pound per 1-2 hungry people, with other appetizers) you will need:

  • 2 pounds baby potatoes (I had the best luck with small red potatoes, no more than an inch in diameter.)
  • 1 cup table salt
  • Water to cover

Directions:

Rinse the potatoes well. Place in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Cover potatoes with water and add salt. Mix to dissolve the salt. If the potatoes do not float, add more salt. (The Canarians once used seawater, so that should give you a sense of how salty the water should be.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. (They are done when a sharp knife easily pierces through to the center of the potato.)

Drain almost all the water from the pot, leaving just a quarter inch or so. Return the pot to the stove with the lid off and, over low heat, shake to distribute the salty water over the potatoes. (Some recipes call for adding another layer of dry salt to the potatoes at this stage, but I found that wasn't necessary.) Cook for 5 minutes, shaking the pot regularly, until all the water is evaporated and the salt is crystallized on the potatoes.

Now turn off the heat, put the lid back on, and let the potatoes steam in their own moisture for 5-10 minutes until the skins are wrinkled. If your lid isn't heavy and doesn't fit the pot tightly, you can put a cotton dishtowel under the lid to create a better seal, or simply drape the towel over the potatoes. Serve warm with red and green mojos.

Red Mojo

(Makes about 3/4 cup, enough for at least 4-6 pounds of potatoes alongside green mojo)

  • 8 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika (It's important that it be smoked, rather than regular paprika. The flavor is intense and amazing.)
  • 1/2 -1 teaspoon dried chili/red pepper flakes, the kind you put on pizza
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Tradition calls for making the mojo with a mortar and pestle. You would mash the garlic and salt with the pestle, then mix in the spices. Then you would slowly drizzle in the olive oil and add the lemon juice and vinegar. I used a blender. Add the garlic, salt, spices, vinegar, lemon juice, and water to your blender or food processor. On high speed, add the olive oil in a thin stream until it's completely integrated. Serve at room temperature.

 

Green Mojo

(Makes over 1/2 cup, enough for at least 4-6 pounds of potatoes alongside red mojo)

  • 6 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 bunch cilantro, including leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
  • (2 to 2 1/2 packed cups of leaves and stems)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons sherry-wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Add the garlic, salt, cilantro, cumin, vinegar, water, and lemon juice to your blender or food processor. On high speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it's integrated. Serve at room temperature.

Menu Note: I served my papas arrugadas with oven-broiled shrimp. (I adapted my previous recipe for a more Spanish flavor: For each pound of shrimp, use 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon regular, not smoked, paprika, the zest of 1/2 lemon, salt, and olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges, a bowl for the shells, and lots of napkins.) We had a salad of baby mustard greens in a simple mustard vinaigrette, and Leah brought a delicious Manchego-style cheese drizzled with honey and Marcona almonds.

Girl with Spoonappetizer, gluten-free, potatoes, vegetarian