If you've ever visited the Canary Islands, you'll be familiar with papas arrugadas – often translated, somewhat unappetisingly, as "wrinkly potatoes" – which appear on nearly every menu there. They're not just a side dish, but a standalone snack meant to be enjoyed with drinks. The islands take their potatoes seriously, which makes sense given that the first potatoes to reach Europe passed through the Canaries from Peru. The rocky soils of the Andes and the islands are similar, contributing to a long history of cultivation.
Though many unusual early varieties are still grown locally, the Canaries also import seed and fresh potatoes from the UK (King Edward and Arran Banner have become quinegua and arambana). Historically, ships loaded with winter tomatoes for the British market would return full of tubers. For this recipe, you'll need new season potatoes with thin, delicate skins, small enough to cook whole. Boiled in salty water until salt crystals cling to them like frost, they're served with a fiery dipping sauce that reflects strong Portuguese and African influences – an unusual but excellent way to celebrate our own early-summer crop.