Canarian-style wrinkled potatoes with dips (Papas arrugas with mojo sauces-inspired)
🌱🥔Potatoes are a versatile, nutritious, and budget-friendly staple but did you know they can also eat the skins? Potato peels are packed with fibre and nutrients! So are you ready to bring Canarian Carnival flavours to your table? Let’s cook delicious Canarian-style wrinkled potatoes boiled in salted water, originally seawater was used, creating a unique texture and a deliciously salty crust—perfect for dipping in either spicy red mojo sauce (chilli pepper, garlicky and smoky paprika) or a bold, flavorful green mojo sauce with fresh cilantro!
🌶️😋 Grandma Sita cooked with David a plant-based family recipe inspired by the iconic “Papas arrugadas” (wrinkled potatoes) a popular dish native to the Canary Island in Spain, traditionally served with “Mojo Verde” (green mojo) and spicy “Mojo Picón” (red mojo) sauces. There are no standard recipes, each Canarian family twitches it according to their taste buds. Store extra mojo sauce in a jar, it lasts for days and tastes even better over time!
➡️ Mojo is an uncooked, fresh, and vibrant sauce originally from the Canary Islands, that’s used as a condiment, as a topping, or as a marinade for fish, meat, and vegetables. Mojo is also commonly served with fresh bread rolls at the beginning of a meal. There are many varieties of mojo sauces, especially in areas like Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other parts of the Caribbean and broader Latin America.
INGREDIENTS
*FOR GREEN MOJO
1 bunch fresh chopped coriander or parsley
1/3 medium green bell pepper roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 small green chilli (optional for a kick!)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
⅓ cup (100ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp coarse sea salt, to taste
*FOR SPICY RED MOJO
1/3 medium red bell pepper roughly chopped
1/3 dried red chilli pepper (adjust for spice level)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
⅓ cup (100ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp coarse sea salt, to taste
*FOR WRINKLED POTATOES
500gr baby potatoes
3 tsp coarse sea salt
METHOD
*Green Mojo/Mojo Verde
1. Wash the cilantro well and dry it. Peel the garlic cloves. Chop roughly the green bell pepper.
2. Put the three previous ingredients in a blender and add the vinegar, cumin and a pinch of salt. Blend until you obtain a uniform mixture.
3. Add the olive oil little by little, while continuing to blend until smooth and vibrant green!
4. Pour the mojo sauce into a glass jar and keep it in the fridge for up to two months.
*Spicy Red Mojo/Mojo Picón
1. Peel the garlic cloves. Chop roughly the red pepper. Remove the seeds from the red chilli pepper (only if you want a spicy mojo sauce, otherwise you can skip this ingredient).
2. Put the three previous ingredients in a blender and add the vinegar, cumin, paprika and a pinch of salt. Add the olive oil little by little, while blending until smooth and vibrant red!
3. Pour the mojo sauce into a glass jar and keep it in the fridge for up to two months.
*How to make Wrinkled potatoes/Papas Arrugadas
1. Wash small potatoes (skins on) and place them in a pot.
2. Cover with just enough water and add a generous amount of coarse sea salt (3 tsp approx.)
3. Boil until tender, then drain and let them dry in the pot, the skins will wrinkle beautifully! Save the potato cooking water for soups or bread-making, it’s packed with flavour and nutrients!
4. Serve hot with Mojo Verde & Mojo Picón!
👵💚 Grandma Sita’s tips:
*Love potatoes? Store them in a cool, dark place to extend freshness and avoid sprouting!
*Instead of throwing away scraps, let’s make the most of every part of the potato! Peels and scraps add flavour and nutrients to homemade vegetable broth. Roast them with olive oil & spices for crispy potato skin chips.
*If you can’t eat them, compost them! Potato peels break down easily and enrich the soil.
📗There are 29 varieties of old potatoes in the Canary Islands, some dating back centuries without any genetic variation since they were introduced to the islands from America. Among them are “bonitas” (beautiful), “negras” (black), and “rojas” (red) potatoes, which are ideal for wrinkling.
♻️🌎 Potatoes are one of the most wasted foods worldwide, which is baffling since potatoes are some of the most versatile vegetables with an incredibly long shelf life. Instead of throwing away scraps, let’s make the most of every part of the potato!