These Papas A La Diabla are the perfect appetizer at a party or served as a side dish with any meal. These potatoes are spicy, citrusy and so addicting!
This recipe is gluten free, vegetarian with an option to make it vegan.
Are you ready for an authentic Mexican potatoes recipe? Then this one’s for you! These Papas A La Diabla are boiled (or steamed) small potatoes, then tossed in a warm, tangy-spicy and garlicky sauce.
The result? utterly addictive potatoes!
They are the roast potatoes everybody dreams about, with a thick yummy crust that stays crispy for ages.
Why you’ll love it
Ingredients
- Papas cambray (the small yellow potatoes). Alternative, you can use russet potatoes cut into smaller pieces, yukon golds or red potatoes. The key is to have all pieces about the same size.
- Chiles de arbol stem removed but keep the seeds (see note below on how to control the spiciness).
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh lime juice (about 4 large lime or 8 smaller ones)
- Chicken bullion powder or better than bouillon no chicken base
- Black pepper and kosher salt
- Olive oil
- Butter (use plant based butter for the vegan version of this dish)
- Fresh cilantro
Spicy level: for a medium-hot sauce, use 8 to 10 chiles. For a medium sauce, use 5 chile de arbol peppers and add 1 guajillo pepper.
***Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.
How To Make Papas A La Diabla
Before you start, make sure the wash & scrub the potatoes very well to remove any dirt. I like to keep the skin on since it’s full of nutrients and give the potatoes an extra crisp.
- In a medium pot, add the water, salt and potatoes. Bring to a boil then lower to medium heat and cover pot with a lid. Cook for about 10 minutes and drain water.
Optional: After boiling the potatoes, cut the larger ones in half or just saute as is.
Don’t over boil the potatoes as we want to finish the cooking process at the end when cooking them with the salsa.
Make the sauce
- In a blender, add the garlic, chile de arbol peppers, lemon juice, bullion and black pepper.
- Blend well until it has a salsa consistency. Blend until there are no big chunks of garlic and chiles. About 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
Sauteing The Potatoes
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter then the potatoes. Make sure they brown on all sides.
- Keep stirring so that potatoes don’t get stuck at the bottom. When they start to get crispy, add the chile sauce and stir to incorporate all ingredients well.
By now your kitchen is smelling amazing!
- Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until most of the sauce is absorbed and the potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and serve warm or cold!
Tips and Notes
- Double the ingredients for the sauce to have extra for another time. It makes an awesome dipping sauce!
- You can cook the potatoes in the air fryer. Roast at 375 for 15 minutes or so. Then pour the sauce on top of them.
Are these potatoes healthy?
Even though white potatoes contain a lot of starch, that doesn’t make them unhealthy. It just means you might want to limit how much you eat. This recipe contains very little oil to keep them lower in fat since it’s not really needed. The flavor comes from the delicious Mexican spicy sauce.
How to Store Leftovers
- Fridge: Let your potatoes cool completely. Use an airtight container or a heavy duty storage bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Reheat in microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes. Warming them up on the stove will cause the sauce to burn fast.
- These Mexican potatoes can be served hot or cold.
FAQ
Papas Cambray are called New Potatoes or Baby Potatoes in English. They’re easy to find and have so much flavor!
Make about 5 to 6 ounces per person (about 165 grams) for cambray, new or baby potatoes.
More Side Dishes Recipes
Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you like this recipe! Do you have any questions I can help you with? Or if you made it, I would love it if you leave a comment or rating below.
Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Papas A La Diabla (Spicy Potatoes)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs papas cambray (small yellow potatoes) peel on
- 6 cups water
- 2 Tsp kosher salt
- 12 to 16 chiles de arbol (see note #1 below) stem removed but keep the seeds
- 4 medium garlic cloves (or 2 large ones)
- 8 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about 4 large lime or 8 smaller ones)
- 1 tsp better than bouillon no chicken base (or 1 tsp chicken bullion powder) optional
- 1 tsp black pepper or more to taste
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter (plant based butter will work perfectly)
- 4 Tbsp chopped cilantro or more to taste optional
- 1 ½ Tbsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Wash & scrub the potatoes very well to remove dirt.
- In a medium pot, add the water, salt and potatoes. Bring to a boil then lower to medium heat and cover pot with a lid. Cook for about 10 minutes and drain water.
- Note: if you have different size potatoes, check the smaller ones at the 8 minute point (after boiling) and pierce with a knife to see if they're starting to get soft inside. Remove from heat when they're ready. (see note #2 below)
Make the sauce while the potatoes are cooking
- In a blender, add the garlic, chile de arbol peppers, lemon juice, bullion and black pepper. Blend well until it has a salsa consistency. Blend until there are no big chunks of garlic and chiles. About 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
Saute The Potatoes
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter then the potatoes (see note #3 below). Make sure they brown on all sides.
- Keep stirring so that potatoes don't get stuck at the bottom. When they start to get crispy, add the chile sauce and mix to incorporate all ingredients well.
- Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until most of the sauce is absorbed.
- Sprinkle with cilantro. They can be served hot or cold.
Muy Delish Notes:
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Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
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We had these for dinner and they were great. I enjoyed them even more the next day cold though!
Thank you, Casey!! Yes they taste good cold, so happy you liked them.
These were really good! They really transformed boring potatoes into something with pizazz!
Thank you, Chenee!!! so glad you liked them.
These potatoes are perfect! I can’t wait to make them again for NYE!
Thank you, Ned!! so happy you liked them.
What a delish side dish!! Yum!
Thank you, Dina and Bruce!! so happy you liked them.
This was such a unique and unexpected way to enjoy potatoes! Was quick, easy and perfectly crispy; definitely, a new favorite recipe!
Thank you, Sara!!! so happy you liked them.
Las voy a hacer esta semana
Gracias
I truly love this recipe. My daughter’s mother-in-law made them for a party and I couldn’t forget them. I tried your recipe and fell in love with them all over again. Even my boyfriend, who sometimes complains about all the spicy food I eat, ate them like crazy. I doubled the recipe for the sauce of course and now fixing them again just a week later. Thank you soo much. I have never really left a review but this recipe deserves it!!!
Que ricaaas!!
Son muy buenas!!! Deliciosas
Son muy buenas!!!
Que delicia esta receta !! Muchas Gracias!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Do you dehydrate the chili’s first?
Hi Debbie, I do not. There is no need to hydrate them for this salsa. Enjoy!
These were so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Just looking at these spicy potatoes is making my mouth water. I can’t wait to try these and I just know they’ll be muy delish.
These spicy potatoes are so delicious, Ana! I love seeing another recipe with chiles de arbol. It’s a comforting and flavorful side dish that’s easily made vegan; thank you for sharing this recipe!