A Dinner Inspired by Spanish Paprika and Jose Andres

Gorgeous heirloom carrots, prepped
and ready

My husband and I rarely eat out at the same restaurant twice. When date nights are few and far between, and hundreds of delicious restaurants exist within a 30 minute drive, it's hard to justify revisiting a restaurant, regardless of how good it was. What if we miss out on something new/better/different? So that is why it's taken us 8 years to go back to eat at Jaleo, the Jose Andres staple. We ordered a variety of small plates to share, including the famous Patatas Bravas which had me stifling a moan with each delicious bite (after all, we were in public).

The finished dish - Braised Chicken Thighs
and Root Vegetables with Bravas
Sauce and Garlic Aioli

The key to this dish, as with many on the menu, is the Spanish pimenton - a sweet, smoky paprika. The tiny potatoes are fried twice to make them extra crispy - the first time at low heat (about 250) and the second at higher heat (350). They sit nestled on a bed of tomato sauce, cooked down with the pimenton and some sherry vinegar. Then, they are topped with the lightest, garlicky aioli and freshly chopped chives. Since I don't own a copy of Jose Andres' cookbook, a quick Google search yielded this recipe from a blog I love called eatmoredrinkmore.com. It was clear I needed to go out and get me some Spanish paprika.

Since fried potatoes does not a dinner make (at least that I'll admit), I decided to use up a little more of that Spanish paprika by dry rubbing it on some chicken thighs which I braised with chicken stock, onions, garlic, and the most gorgeous heirloom carrots, pictured above. I served the chicken thighs, carrots, and potatoes on top of the smokey tomato sauce, topped it with the aioli and chives, and moaned all I wanted. Whether you try the recipe yourself or get over to Jaleo, give this dish a try and let me know what you think!