Barceloneta potato bombs

How to make potato bombs to the barceloneta . This is a recipe for meat  mixed with potato, a kind of magic delicious potato croquette. A delicious bite, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, always accompanied by a spicy touch in the form of sauce. I recommend salsa brava and aioli sauce .

In Spain we could call it ” potatoes stuffed with meat ” and that is how you will find it in many places in Barcelona, ​​as it is one of its star tapas. Although we can find a version of this recipe in Latin America. There they are called ” meat bombs ” or  potato bombs . Its flavor is similar but not its preparation.

These  potato bombs were born in Barcelona, ​​it is said that more specifically in a tavern in the neighborhood of fishing origin of La Barceloneta, which is called La Coba Fumada. It is a Catalan tapas par excellence that consists of a ball of potato and meat (originally from butifarra) that is covered with aioli sauce and brava sauce and that is delicious.

They say their recipe is secret, that only a lucky few know what the ingredient is that makes everyone like it. Although a server has tried them in various places in Barcelona and I assure you that this recipe is very close to it. Even so, I recommend you stop by La Cova Fumada, La Bombeta, Senyor Vermut or the Bodega Montferry.

It is also very easy to prepare, so it is a fantastic recipe for those pecking dinners among friends or, why not, to surprise the family with something new, delicious and fun. You can even ask the little ones in the house to help you with the preparation so that they also have a great time in the kitchen, they will surely be happy to shape the pumps and cover them with the sauces. Go for those potato bombs!

Preparation of the base of the potato bombs and their sauces

1. We start with the aioli sauce. We put one or two cloves of garlic in a mixer glass with a pinch of salt and add 50 ml of milk and 100 ml of oil.
2. We beat at medium power with the mixer resting on the bottom. When we stop seeing the oil we begin to rise and fall until it is completely emulsified.
3. Add a few drops of lemon and put in the fridge.
4. Now for the salsa brava. We pour 15 ml of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan and heat it. Before it smokes we remove it from the fire. We add 6 g of paprika from La Vera (a mixture of spicy and sweet) and stir well with some sticks.
5. We add 10 g. of wheat flour and mix well again. When it is uniform we are pouring the chicken broth while stirring. We stop adding it when the consistency is as desired (neither too loose nor too thick). We rectify salt and let it temper at room temperature.
6. Once we have the sauces ready it is time to prepare the potato bombs. We start by putting a saucepan with plenty of water on the fire. We throw the potatoes just when it begins to boil and salt lightly. We leave the potatoes the time necessary for them to cook (about 45 minutes, towards the end of this time we prick them with a fork to check if they are worth).
7. We put the minced meat in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Shaping Potato Bombs

1. Heat a jet of virgin olive oil in a frying pan and grate a little chive on top.
2. When it starts to brown, add the meat and fry it while undoing it with a spatula so that it is very loose.
3. We pour a stream of white wine and let it evaporate over medium heat (about 7 minutes). We reserve the meat.
4. Once the potatoes are cold, peel them and put them in a bowl. Crush them with a fork.
5. We beat an egg. Add half a tablespoon of wheat flour and four of beaten egg to the potatoes. Mix well, add the meat and mix and mash again.
6. With our hands, we make balls with the dough (slightly larger than a walnut) and we pass them through the rest of the beaten egg and breadcrumbs.

Frying and final presentation of potato bombs

1. In order to obtain more crispy pumps, we can use a crispy breadcrumb instead of the breadcrumbs. It will give you a much more crisp type of texture. For frying we are interested in oils with a high smoke point and that are soft so as not to add too much flavor to the potato bombs.
2. These oils will allow us to fry at a high temperature, which will provide us with a crispy breading after a short frying process. This way we will make the interior juicier. When we have all the potato bombs ready, heat plenty of sunflower oil in a frying pan and fry them.
3. Always in small batches at medium temperature to avoid excessively lowering the temperature of the oil. It is important that the oil is not very hot when frying them. This way we avoid that they are very toasted on the outside and raw on the inside.
4. We remove to a tray with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

At the time of serving the potato bombs we take the aioli sauce from the fridge and also take the brava sauce . With the help of two different spoons, we put a layer of aioli and another of brava sauce.

I encourage you to visit more recipes for tapas, snacks and pinchos  perfect for an unforgettable evening with yours.

If you still do not have it clear, I leave you a step by step in photos of this recipe for potato bombs   so that they come out yes or yes, do not hesitate, follow these photos.