Brave old world

Inspired by patatas bravas

I've been a bit flakey lately, haven't I? Ooh, pasta's too hard! Potatoes: what are they like?! Oh, I love ham, me! Well, to make up for it, here's an actual recipe.

Before you all scream at me, I have no idea if this is authentic. I've based it on eating patatas bravas and improvising with ingredients I had around the house.

Firstly chop two large potatoes into small cubes (about an inch across, I suppose). There's no need to peel them first, really. Place them on a large baking tray and drizzle them with loads of olive oil, adding a good sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Roast them in the oven for about 20 minutes initially.

After they've had a chance to start cooking, remove the baking tray and add a tin of tomatoes (I don't know quantities but one of the tall tins!). I normally use tinned cherry tomatoes because they burst in an appealing way. Also add a small sprinkle of chilli flakes, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a very small squeeze of tomato puree (I use sun-dried tomato puree but it probably doesn't make much difference!), a teaspoon of demerara sugar and a roughly-chopped red onion. Return the whole thing to the oven for about half an hour until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and the tomato sauce has thickened.

I would normally eat masses of this with a tortilla and a bit of ham, in which case this amount serves only two of us. If you're eating it as 'proper tapas', however, it would probably constitute at least four portions.

Oh, and have red wine with it!