Everyone is familiar with the Mexican tortilla (”wut tacos &c r made of”), but in Spainish cuisine, a tortilla is a thick omelet which contains layers of (usually) potatoes and onions, and occasionally other Spanishy ingredients (tuna, chorizo, tomatoes, and cheese are common). This delightful dish is a staple of Spanish cuisine and is usually served in wedges along with MEAT and a healthy dollop of tomato sauce. It is a comfort food of my youth: My mother would often leave us a big tortilla in the fridge when she went on weekend trips, as it seems to improve in flavor and texture if kept in the fridge.
I don’t have my mom’s recipe so the following is adapted from a few sources, notably Smitten Kitchen’s version.
Tortilla de patata (Potato omelet)
- 1 cup olive oil (don’t worry, you won’t actually consume the whole cup)
- 3 medium potatoes, sliced very thin (I never skin potatoes if I can help it, but you can I guess)
- 1 large white onion, quartered and sliced thin
- 6 eggs
- kosher salt
Heat the cup of oil in a large skillet (preferably with fairly high sides– remember that all the potatoes, onions, and egg need to fit!) on medium-high until very hot (about 3 minutes, when it starts to shimmer and little bubbles appear on the surface of the pan). Bring the heat down to medium-low and add the sliced potatoes, stirring occasionally to make sure that none stick to the pan. Cook this about 6-8 minutes, then add the onions and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender to the bite. Drain the potatoes and onions in a colander over a bowl; reserve oil. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and a few pinches of salt (say about 1-2 teaspoons, depending on your Daily Salt Requirements) until just scrambled, and then fold in the drained potatoes and onions slowly. While folding them in, you can chop up the potatoes a bit more (into half-circles or whatever) with a fork or wooden spatula, but it doesn’t matter too much! Let that all sit for 10 minutes.
Now heat about 4-5 tbsp of the reserved oil in a nonstick pan on med-high (I used a wok! since it’s what we had around) until smoking, pour the egg-and-potato mixture and pat it down so that it is relatively flat. Reduce heat to med-low. Run a spatula around the bottom so that a layer of egg creeps in under the potatoes and cook that for 6-8 minutes, shaking occasionally to keep the omelet from sticking to the pan too much. Eventually the top should begin to set: it should no longer be liquid, though still somewhat wet and runny. Now for the fun part: we have to invert the tortilla: (1) Equip oven mitts, (2) Get yerself a large plate, (3) Place the plate over the pan, (4) Turn it all upside down, carefully.
Refresh the pan with fresh oil if it looks dry, then slide the tortilla back in. Run a spatula around the tortilla and cook another 4-6 minutes or until a toothpick stuck through the middle runs clear, making sure to shake the pan every now and again. Serve warm or cold: either works!
A good accompaniment is some fairly standard garlic chicken (pictured above). Heat some olive oil to smoking on medium high, add garlic until it is fragrant and beginning to brown, and then some salted chunks of chicken. Cook all that until the chicken is done through, then add some sherry and toss the chicken to coat in the resulting deliciousness.