Spanish Tortilla
¡Hola! I’ve been learning Spanish over the past few weeks, and luckily for me I live with some lovely Spanish ladies. A topic of debate that often comes up in our kitchen, other than which wine or cheese is the best, is Tortilla. This traditional Spanish dish is an omelette made with egg and potato. One might argue that a little bit of green onion is the perfect addition to this delicious dish, and another might tell you that pepper will ruin the taste of the oil.
I have another friend who keeps a jar of oil ONLY for tortilla and reuses the same oil every time. I have personally never tried to make a tortilla as I'm scared of messing it up, but I am eager to have a try and see what my Spanish mates think. Here’s a simple recipe to follow, and I mean simple. It’s up to you if you think the onion or the pepper is needed!
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 Medium potatoes (white)
1 cup of Olive Oil
½ Dozen Large Eggs
Salt/Pepper
NOTE: As a guide, my friend says her proportions are one egg for every medium potato and as potatoes are always different sizes, a 6-person tortilla would roughly be around 4 potatoes and 6 eggs.
METHOD
A skillet works best for this (preferably one that is smaller than your dinner plate):
STEP 1
Scrub, Peel and chop the potatoes into little 1-2cm cubes. Meanwhile, heat all the oil in your skillet for about 4-5 minutes. Drop in a potato cube to see if the oil is hot enough, if it bubbles around the potato edge it’s ready! Add potatoes with a little salt in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Use a wooden spoon to gently turn the potatoes in the oil, reduce the heat just so the oil bubbles gently.
STEP 2
Continue to turn the potatoes every few minutes, until they are tender, and you can easily pierce them with a fork. Keep adjusting the heat so they don’t burn, you don’t want them to brown or break. As the potatoes are cooking, whisk up the eggs in a bowl with some salt.
STEP 3
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander or sieve, but keep the oil aside in a bowl. Combine the warm potatoes with the beaten eggs and gently mix together (Some people say to leave this mixture to sit for 10 minutes). Wipe the skillet with some paper towel and return to a medium flame adding a couple spoonsful of the reserved oil. Add the eggy potato mixture to the skillet and watch as the edges start to bubble and firm up, once they do reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for a further 5 minutes.
STEP 4
With the top of the tortilla still runny, run a spatula around the edges of the pan, put your dinner plate on top of the skillet and very carefully, but firmly, flip the tortilla onto the plate. Add a bit more of the reserved oil to the skillet, and carefully return the tortilla to it using the spatula to guide it in. Cook for another 5 minutes, and then slide the tortilla onto a clean dinner plate. Don’t eat it immediately, let it rest for around 15 minutes as it tastes best at room temperature.
My friends usually serve tortilla as a dinner with a simple cheese board, some charcutier and lots of wine. It’s also delicious completely on its own, and cold, as a snack or breakfast. Try it with a mixed leaf salad and a blob of mayonnaise.
What’s your favourite tortilla recipe?