Spanish Tortilla Recipe
By Cassandra Clifford
A quintessential Spanish food that you’ll find at just about any bar or restaurant (besides sangria) in Spain is the tortilla de patatas, a Spanish omelette. It looks nothing like the Mexican tortilla I grew up with (though I bet it would taste delicious with a corn tortilla), but I’m so glad to have found it because I could probably eat it any time, any day.
One of my mother’s best friends, who is originally from a small town outside of Madrid, taught her how to make this tortilla. My mother and I still haven’t perfected it (as you can probably see from our photos), so we’re convinced there’s a little secret Julia still hasn’t given up. The pro tip that I can give you after a failed attempt at making the tortilla is to make sure your potatoes aren’t burning to the bottom of the pan! I would recommend trying this recipe with a non-stick pan if you have one, but since I don’t have one, learn from my mistakes.
What meal is a tortilla? I’m not exactly sure--I’ve eaten it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and probably many times in between. Even in Spain, I’ve seen it served as a breakfast or as a tapa (kind of a bar snack, though tapas are also eaten as a smaller dinner since lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Spain). If you want to add a little something extra to your tortilla once you’ve gotten to the basics, you can add meat, cheese, or vegetables. Tortillas in Spain are often served with Italian bread or a baguette, sometimes as a sandwich (bocadillo de tortilla). One of my favorite tortillas from my adventures in Spain was served with a roasted tomato. It’s yours to play with as you like--who knows! Maybe when we’re socializing again, the tortilla will become your new brunch staple!
Makes 3 servings
Ingredients
4 eggs, beaten
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
~¼ c. oil (will vary depending on your pan size)
¼ Vidalia onion
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions
Heat the oil on medium heat in a medium-sized pan.
Add the diced onion and lower heat to medium-low. Let the onion cook for a minute alone, but do not allow it to brown.
Add potatoes and mix with onion.
Cover potatoes and onion and allow to sit for about three minutes.
Every two or three minutes, stir the onions and potatoes so they do not burn/stick to the bottom of the pan. Use a masher to mash the onions and potatoes together.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once the potatoes are mostly mashed, add eggs.
Stir the potatoes and eggs together just so the eggs can reach the bottom of the pan.
Cover the eggs and potatoes and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes. The tortilla will be ready when the eggs on top of the pan are cooked.
Use a spatula around the sides of the pan so the tortilla comes out of the pan more easily.
(Carefully!) flip your tortilla out of the pan and onto a plate.
