Barceloneta Potato Bombas
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5.0
21 reviews
Excellent
Barceloneta Potato Bombas
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Potato Bombas are breaded and fried mashed potato balls with meat filling. An invention hailing from the Barceloneta beach-side neighborhood of Barcelona, these are must-have tapas when visiting this jewel of the Mediterranean. If a trip to Barcelona is not on the horizon right now, make them yourself with this recipe!
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Ingredients
Allioli:
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and left whole
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Juice of ½ lemon
- kosher salt
Filling:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion or ½ large onion finely chopped
- 4 ounces (113 grams) ground beef
- 4 ounces (113 grams) ground pork
- ½ tomato flesh grated on a box grater, skin discarded
- 1 teaspoon sweet (regular) paprika
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Chili flakes or cayenne pepper to taste
Potatoes:
- 2 ½ pounds (1.13 kg) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- kosher salt
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg
Bravas sauce:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sweet (regular) paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth
- kosher salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper or more to taste
To finish:
- vegetable oil for frying
- all purpose flour as needed
- 2 to 3 large eggs beaten
- dried breadcrumbs as needed
Instructions
- To make the allioli: In a small saucepan combine the garlic cloves and olive oil and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the garlic is tender and honey gold (occasionally tilt the pan as needed to keep the garlic submerged–even off the heat the olive oil should be hot enough to keep cooking it). Watch the garlic carefully so that it does not overcook. Lift the garlic cloves from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels to cool. Reserve the garlic oil for another use (1 tablespoon will be used later for the allioli).
- In a small food processor fitted with the metal blade, puree the garlic cloves, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the garlic oil. Taste, season with salt, and pulse to mix. Scrape the allioli into a lidded storage container and chill for up to 3 days. You should have about 1 cup allioli.
- To make the filling: In a large non-stick skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook until softened. Then add the ground beef and pork, and cook, breaking the meat up into small pieces with the edge of a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and most of its natural liquid has evaporated. Add the grated tomato, paprika, garlic, salt, and cayenne and continue cooking until the remaining liquid has absorbed/evaporated. Set aside to cool completely.
- To make the potatoes: Add the cubed potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water by at least an inch. Salt generously and bring to a boil over high heat, being careful it doesn’t boil over (lower the heat as needed). Boil the potatoes until they are easily pierced with a fork, drain and then return to the pot off the heat. Add the olive oil and mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Adjust seasoning if needed. Let the potatoes cool slightly and then mash in the egg (you don’t want the potatoes super hot or else the egg will cook). Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- To assemble the bombas: Scoop ¼ cup of the potato mixture at a time into the palm of your hand. You can slightly wet your hands as needed if the potato starts to stick to your hands during this process. Carefully pat the scooped potato into a disc about ½-inch thick in the palm of your hand. Add 1 tablespoon of the cooled meat filling into the center, then carefully cup your hand to start bringing the edges of the potato together and use your other hand to pinch it closed. Smooth into a round ball and set aside as you continue shaping the remaining bombas. The bombas can be refrigerated at this point until you are ready to bread and fry them.
- To make the bravas sauce: Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and paprikas and whisk for a couple minutes to ensure the flour starts to cook. Slowly add the chicken broth while continuing to whisk into a smooth sauce. It will thicken more once the mixture comes up to a boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. This sauce can be served hot, warm, or room temperature.
- To finish the bombas: To each of 3 wide bowls add flour, beaten eggs, and dried breadcrumbs to set up a dredging station. Dredge each bomba one at a time in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, and set aside on a clean tray or work surface until remaining bombas are breaded. You can also bread them in batches as you fry them, but this can get messy.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 350°F. You’ll want the oil to be deep enough so the bombas will be fully submerged once you add them to the oil. Fry the breaded bombas in batches for about 2 minutes each or until they are golden brown. If you fry them much longer the balls may start to crack open. Set finished bombas aside on a paper towel-lined tray or sheet pan to drain. Serve bombas immediately with the allioli and bravas sauce.
Notes
- Make these potato bombas gluten-free by using gluten-free flour in the bravas sauce, and using gluten-free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs for the breading.
- Using a measuring cup and spoon will save the day and yield more accurate and evenly sized potato bombas. Small discrepancies in measurements, or depending on how much you peel your potatoes may fluctuate the number of bombas you yield.
- I highly recommend using a deep fryer to cook these if you can. It keeps the oil temperature steady, and doesn't make a huge mess on the stove top.
- This recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US). If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt! The type of salt will make a big difference in how salty your food tastes, so keep that in mind.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1bomba
Calories
292kcal
(15%)
Carbohydrates
17g
(6%)
Protein
8g
(16%)
Fat
24g
(37%)
Saturated Fat
4g
(20%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
7g
Monounsaturated Fat
9g
Cholesterol
55mg
(18%)
Sodium
335mg
(14%)
Potassium
271mg
(8%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 20bombas
Amount Per Serving
Calories 292 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1bomba | |
| Calories | 292kcal | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 17g | 6% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 7g | 41% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Cholesterol | 55mg | 18% |
| Sodium | 335mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 271mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
21 reviews
Excellent
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