Good Spanish fries, those churrerias that you can’t eat in one, are the ultimate product sought after in the United States. And all because presenter Oprah Winfrey included in her list Oprah’s Favorite Things (the annual list of recommendations of her favorite things) one of the most popular brands here, Bonilla a la Vista de Coruña. They are also sold in sachets but probably in the photogenic sailor-looking can, already popular after its appearance in the film. parasites, which further triggered the phenomenon, exhausting the stock of this brand in a few hours.
These addictive starters are the simplest, but also the tastiest and most attractive accompaniment for children and not so children, for our anchovies in vinegar, our cans of mussels, our olives or our gildas. So versatile that even Ferrán Adriá created a tortilla with chips prepared in five minutes and which became an iconic recipe a few years ago.
Many memories associated with them go back to these potato, french fries and even churros stores, which were once found in every neighborhood and which are now rare. When it comes to fries, we really are our own, each community, each province has its favorites. Some are like craft beers (they are only known in their environment), others like Bonilla a la Vista have reached the general public and they are quite easy to find in stores. gourmet.
Just in case you don’t have a favorite potato to enjoy when you haven’t managed to make up for the day or when you need to turn a Monday into a Friday, here we leave you a list of brands of chips in bag that is worth it.
Pretty in sight
Before the famous presenter chose them as her favorites, they had already become famous thanks to their appearance in the Oscar-winning film “Parasites”, although we have been enjoying them here for a long time. They come from Galicia, more precisely from A Coruña, a land renowned for the quality of its potatoes – among other things – and are the heirs of one of these traditional chip shops which, in addition to potatoes, offered churros of quality since 1935.
Their secret is to choose the best raw materials; just potatoes, olive oil and sea salt. They are packaged in a can (also in a bag) which is already more than recognizable.
As they are not cheap – the 150 gram bag costs 3.75 euros and the 500 gram box costs 20 euros – it is better to enjoy them as they deserve, without putting them on birthdays and major holidays . A very cold vermouth, with orange zest and a few drops of gin and Bonilla a la Vista.
Saint Nicasus
Most popular in store gourmet and they are found practically throughout the country. These are the ones that we grab on the fly when we want to pay homage.
They arrive from Cordoba and their secret also lies in the raw materials. They use sour variety potatoes, which experts say are best for frying, and are prepared at lower temperatures than usual to retain their texture and shine. They are thin and crunchy and contain just the right amount of salt, in this case Himalayan pink salt.
Although they are delicious on their own with a cold beer, they are perfect to accompany canned cockles previously seasoned with plenty of black pepper, a few drops of lemon and a few drops of vinegar. It may sound strange, but the flavor of the shell and the potatoes go hand in hand.
And they’re not cheap either: 2.45 euros per 150 gram sachet.
Almodóvar
These are made in a small town in Toledo, Urda. You can get away with it because they maintain a good price, just over 3 euros for a 330 gram cartridge.
These big potatoes – what a joy to reach into the bag and pull out one of these beautiful shiny potatoes – they taste like old fashioned fries, with just the right amount of salt , and they crunch when you bite them.
You can serve them on a large plate with marinated anchovies and manzanilla olives, as they do in many traditional taverns in Madrid. And don’t forget a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Sarriegui potatoes
Some potatoes are also very famous and have been awarded for several years in the prestigious Great Taste Awards competition, but whose origin is in a chip shop in the old town of Donostia where all the neighbors came to get these delicious potatoes to accompany the aperitifs and parties.
No Himalayan salt, just potatoes, olive oil and sea salt. The right thickness, neither thin nor thin, and a traditional flavor. On them you can put a good marinated fried mussel and drizzle it with a little of its own sauce. With vermouth or chacolí, they are delicious. They cost 2.60 euros for a 150 gram sachet.
Vallucas
Also in Cantabria they have mastered the art of making fries. This is where these Vallucas come from, which are advertised precisely as “the fried potato of Cantabria”, and which use local potatoes, since those from this town of Valderredible are very appreciated for their quality. In this case, fried with sunflower oil and salt.
The factory where they are manufactured is very young, it started operating in 2018, but since then the brand has gained a lot of notoriety for its quality and flavor.
Of course you can enjoy them alone, but here is an aperitif suggestion to shine. Take the largest ones, place them on a plate and place a fried quail egg on each one in still steaming olive oil. And put a bowl with more potatoes to dip in the yolk. They cost 2.70 euros for a 140 gram sachet.
Chic potatoes
Pay particular attention to those with pepper and lemon. They are also a product of the new fried potato culture, created in 2016 in Murcia and with a powerful image on their bag that makes them unique.
In addition to those with pepper and lemon, they also have classic ones, with paprika or black olive, which makes them ideal for tweaking them a little.
For example, those with peppers and lemon are very good as a base to accommodate some flakes of desalinated cod marinated in olive oil. Drain it and place it on the potatoes. You can sprinkle black olive on top. And those with paprika perfectly accept a small portion of octopus cooked with a few drops of olive oil and a minimum of spicy paprika.
They cost 1.29 euros for a 130 gram sachet.
The potato you carry
Sevillians, they have the sight and aroma of the traditional fried potato and they themselves say that they are artisans “fried in a pot”, and that their desire is to recover the tradition of the potato traditional fries.
They are crispy and very thin, perfect to accompany a can of marinated mussels and then dip them in leftover pickles. You can’t ask for more. The price: 1.1 euros per 90 gram sachet.
Organic Añavieja Fries
These are Soria chips, made by a snack factory that also has its own organic farm to produce the raw materials with which it then makes its products.
The star of this plant are the organic potatoes, fried in extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. In addition to using olive oil, all of their plastic and cardboard packaging is recycled.
They are crispy and golden, they go very well on their own, but they are also very good if you use them to make a potato omelette fleas, the recipe that Ferrán Adrián invented, but which today belongs to everyone. Simply mix the barely beaten eggs with the bagged chips, soak the potato in the egg for five minutes then put it in the olive oil for a minute on each side, or a little longer if you like it soggy. With this you prepare a great Friday dinner.
A little more expensive than the previous ones, around 3 euros per 100 grams.
Azucena
Since 1943, it has operated this typical potato and other chip shop. snacks which makes Madrilenians happy. Their secret is to maintain the traditional recipe, choosing the potatoes (of the sour variety) directly from the producer and opting only for those of perfect size. They are fried in Spanish sunflower oil, but they also get a perfect crunch and golden color, as evidenced by their thousands of followers. In addition to potatoes, they fry crusts and other snacks and prepare olives and pickles.
To enjoy these potatoes, nothing better than accompanying them with some of their olives and pickles and a well-drained Madrid beer.
Its price: 1.65 euros per 100 gram sachet.
The rooster
Extremadurans also have their favorite potatoes, those of El Gallo, made in Cáceres. Its artisanal recipe has not changed since its creation: the origin of this chip shop dates back to 1928 and since then they continue to make it in the same way, always with Spanish potatoes, sunflower oil and salt. Too bad it’s difficult to find them outside Extremadura. Its price: 1.80 euros per 160 gram sachet.
To taste them, let’s stay true to the classic, accompanying them with Extremadura sausages, a good Iberian chorizo and a patatera blood sausage.
