Papas A La Diabla (Spicy Potatoes)

Papas A La Diabla are the perfect appetizer at a party or served as a side dish. These potatoes are spicy, citrusy and so addicting!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 252kcal

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

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)

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.

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.

#1 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.

#2 Don't over boil the potatoes as we want to finish the cooking process at the end when cooking them with the salsa.

#3 Optional: After boiling the potatoes, cut the larger ones in half or just saute as is.