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“Potatoes-On-a-Stick” with Bravas Sauce and Manchego

Sam Muller

BY Erika Houle

PUBLISHED August 17, 2026

With no utensils required and no familiar flavors or textures forgotten, fried potatoes served on a stick make a lot of sense during the summer. They’re a fun treat to hold and look at, and all of those spiralized crevices serve a purpose, creating space for whatever toppings or sauces your heart desires—in this case, that’s grated manchego cheese and bravas sauce. If you’re making larger batches, add the potatoes to a large bowl filled with cold water as you prepare them to avoid oxidization before you’re ready to fry (then dry them thoroughly before doing so). Make sure they’re golden brown and crispy-crunchy, and use a heavy hand while loading them up.

 

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“Potatoes-On-a-Stick” with Bravas Sauce and Manchego

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Makes 4 to 6 servings 1x

Time 45 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

For the bravas sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

For the potatoes:

  • Neutral oil, for frying (enough to submerge the potatoes entirely)
  • 10–12 baby potatoes (new potatoes), washed and dried
  • Salt, to taste
  • 3–4 ounces Manchego, finely grated

Instructions

  1. Make the bravas sauce: Add olive oil to a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add tomato paste and smoked paprika and continue to cook until the tomato paste darkens, using a spatula to stir and combine all ingredients as you go. Add chicken stock and continue to cook and stir for about five more minutes. Season with salt, taste, and adjust to your preferences. Remove from heat and add sherry vinegar. Use an immersion blender or transfer the sauce to a blender to mix to create a velvety, smooth, dippable consistency. Set aside. Note: you can also make this sauce ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
  2. Prepare the potatoes: Add neutral oil to a large pot over medium heat. Working one at a time, place each potato between two horizontal chopsticks or metal straws. Make vertical slices across each potato (the chopsticks or metal straws will prevent you from slicing all the way through). Flip the potato 180 degrees—while keeping it in between the chopsticks or metal straws—and make diagonal slices across the other side. Skewer each potato and gently stretch them out until they resemble spiral staircases. (Here is a video showing how to do this. Note that we prefer not to peel the potatoes or square them off, to avoid waste.)  When the oil is shimmering, submerge each potato (leaving the ends of each skewer outside of the oil) and fry until crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a cooling rack, season lightly with salt, and garnish with grated Manchego. Serve while still hot, with bravas sauce.

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