TORTILLA ESPANOLA

Tortilla Española (Spanish omelette) is a classic dish served in cafés and bars throughout Spain. Served as a montadillo (on bread) or as a pincho (wedge) you'd be hard pressed to resist this. Any way you have it, this is a filling and tasty snack, morning or night. 

Also, if you have a wonderful friend who brings you Asturian Sidra, the only logical way to thank him is with a nice big Tortilla Española and a little spread of tapas (thanks Scott!).

I am not that kind of tortilla! I am a Tortilla Española!

I make a tortilla de patatas con cebolla, that is, an omelette with potatoes and onion (!). I know some people think onion has no place in a tortilla and to those people I suggest you make your own! I like the sweetness a bit of stewed onion adds here, so I always include it.

Potato, onion, eggs, olive oil and salt. That is it.

The simple tortilla ingredients are inexpensive and wholesome. Do use the best eggs and olive oil you can afford, though.

With it's creamy, olive oil flavored potatoes, sweet onions and eggy goodness, this can become a mainstay in your appetizer repetoire. It makes a lovely first course, too. Or, pair it with a green salad and you'll have a nice light supper. Plus, this is sure to please any vegetarian friends. Be sure to buy a fresh baguette to go along with this. The tortilla is a bit one note in texture, so look for something with a nice crust.

Who did that?

Once the prep fairies come and slice your veggies, the rest is a breeze. While this is certainly not difficult, the finer points need to be paid attention to. If you don't hate teflon like I do, you should have no sticky troubles. I have gotten in the habit of making this in my small enameled casserole and usually have favorable results.

For all the chefs out there, try not renting a house with electric burners. You may surprise yourself by hating it more than you ever thought possible!

I like the potatoes to be pretty well cooked before taking them off the heat. They will keep cooking as they cool and cook a bit more in the egg mixture.

There should be at least half an inch of oil at the bottom of your pan.

You will use a bit more salt and lots more oil than you think. The potatoes should stew in the oil and not brown. I like to put a lid on my pot to trap the moisture and aid in the stewing process. Stir this mix often enough to promote even cooking but try not to break up the potatoes too much.

Strain those taters! And save the oil for another use.

Once cooked properly, strain the excess oil from your potato mixture. I let them sit a bit to cool down before mixing them with the eggs. Taste them at this point so you can gauge how much seasoning your egg mixture will need. I like to eat this at room temperature so I like to salt the whole thing pretty heavily. I may even be known to dip my finger in the beaten eggs and taste a drop. Do be careful to not over season though, OK?

In all aspects of making the tortilla you will use a bit more oil than you might think. Since it is the only expensive ingredient in this dish, and because I LOVE olive oil, I tend to be heavy handed. While the pan and oil heat up, carefully tip and swirl the oil up the sides a few times. This (might!) help it not to stick. 

Let the pan and oil get fairly hot. It will cool down quickly one the egg mix is added.

Once the egg mix has set up along the edges I like to finish it in the oven. If you were using a teflon pan, you could slide the whole tortilla out onto a plate and then carefully flip it back into the pan. I like to make a really tall tortilla and find my stovetop/baking combo does the trick. I would love to know how they make the ones I have seen which are almost twice as tall as my 4 inch tortilla.

Again, marvel in the awfulness of making something like this on an electric burner.

I used 2 large russets, half an onion and  8 eggs for this tortilla but strained off about one eggs worth once I mixed up my batter. You want to fold your beaten eggs and potato mix together so the egg coats each potato and then some. It should be fairly thick. Do this as your oil heats and mix again right before pouring the whole bit into your fairly hot oil. It should sizzle a good deal; this sets the crust and will keep it from sticking (maybe!). 

Sometimes, I flash it under the broiler for a few minutes to add a bit of color.

Once the eggs are set and you feel (sort of) confident it will come easily away  from the pan, take it out. You don't want it to sit too long or it will start to steam a bit. I carefully invert it onto a cooling rack like the baker I am. This lets the outside keep it's slight crust and allows it to cool without steaming. Once cooled to room temperature, slide it onto a plate, warm your baguette and let your guests cut their own slices and make little sandwiches. Delicious!

¡Buen Provecho!