This version of patatas bravas features potatoes roasted in duck fat until they’re super crispy, then topped with spicy brava sauce and creamy, garlicky allioli.

I’ve been on a quest for months to make truly crispy roasted potatoes. They’re more elusive than you might expect. Simply roasting potatoes in a hot oven for a long time may give you some crunch around the edges, but the interior of the potato isn’t satisfactory. I need the insides of the potatoes to be tender and fluffy with no hint of dryness. And I’m not after just crunchy corners–I’m in need of some solid, wrap-around, all-encompassing crunch.

My quest finally came to a delicious end when I discovered this recipe for roasted duck fat potatoes on The Domestic Man. I bought myself a jar of Epic Cage-Free Duck Fat from Thrive Market and got roasting. The recipe requires you to parboil the potatoes, drain them, rinse them until they’re cool, and pat them dry. Then you heat the duck fat on the sheet pan in the oven before adding the potatoes, so they sizzle when they go on. After that, they roast for about an hour.

The results are just perfect, but it’s not exactly a quick recipe. You can’t really get around the lengthy roasting time, but I’ve discovered you can microwave the potatoes with a bit of water for five minutes instead of waiting for a pot of water to boil. Somehow, eliminating the stovetop step makes all the difference for me, and I’ve now moved these potatoes from a weekend treat to a valued member of my weeknight arsenal. (Of course, if you don’t have a microwave or don’t want to use one, you can just follow Russ’ original instructions here.)

Gambas al ajillo (Sizzling Garlic Shrimp) | acalculatedwhisk.com Gluten free, Paleo, Whole30

It could not be easier or quicker to make gambas al ajillo at home! These sizzling garlic shrimp make an ideal paleo appetizer. With such a short and simple ingredients list and such delicious results, there’s no reason not to try it!

For my birthday, we went to dinner at Solea, a fabulous tapas restaurant in Waltham. If you live in the Boston area and haven’t been, you need to try it! It’s one of my absolute favorite restaurants.

Ben, my mom, and I ordered six tapas to share. We got sizzling garlic shrimp, scallops in saffron cream, lamb meatballs in truffle cream sauce, greens sauteed with pine nuts and raisins, and baked goat cheese. Everything was amazing. I ordered a blood orange sidecar to drink, which was delicious, and we started out snacking on a really good chickpea-porcini mushroom spread (my take on that coming soon). The whole meal was great and I highly recommend everything we ordered.

I decided the sizzling garlic shrimp would be fun to recreate at home. At Solea they serve them still bubbling in a small cazuela. You could achieve the same effect by putting the shrimp into ramekins and sticking them under the broiler for a couple of minutes before serving. If you try that, don’t cook the shrimp all the way on the stovetop since they’ll finish cooking under the broiler.

Looking for more delicious and easy paleo shrimp recipes? Try these, which can all be made in 30 minutes or less: curry butter shrimp, pesto shrimp bake with squash and tomatoes, or roasted shrimp and asparagus with green goddess dressing.

Gambas al Ajillo--Sizzling Garlic Shrimp

Name: Gambas al Ajillo--Sizzling Garlic Shrimp
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil; 10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, defrosted if frozen; Salt and pepper to taste; 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika; Pinch or two of red pepper flakes, optional

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, defrosted if frozen
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch or two of red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

Preheat the broiler, if using.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute, stirring frequently, for about five minutes, until the garlic is softened but not browned.
Add the shrimp, raise the heat to medium high, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper. Cook for three minutes on each side or until the shrimp are completely opaque. Serve hot. If you decide to broil the shrimp in individual ramekins, cook on one side in the skillet, flip over into the ramekins, top with some of the oil and garlic, and broil until opaque throughout, about 3 minutes.

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Patatas Bravas