Tortilla Española- Spanish Tortilla

This dish has been a long time coming- I spent quite a few of my growing-up years living in Spain, and have never made this dish on my own.  I've made it in the past, a few times, with my mom, so at least I have that experience to go on.  :)  I've had this recipe somewhere for a long time, but had lost it, so recently I Emailed my mom and asked for her to send it to me again. 

With my daughter needing to make some Spanish food for a Girl Scout project, we had the perfect oppurtunity to make this together.  My daughter peeled some of the potatoes, cracked the eggs, and whisked them.  She also stirred the eggs and potatoes together when it came time for that.  I handled the chopping and hot oil, and my husband walked in the door just as I was about to do the hardest part- place a large dinner plate over the half-cooked tortilla, and flip it over, so you can slide it back in the pan and cook the other side.  That part has always daunted me!  So, my husband handled said flippage.

A few simple ingredients really come together here to produce a tasty finished product.  All you need is really good-quality olive oil (preferrably Spanish, but I cannot get that here! :D ), eggs, onion, salt & pepper, and potatoes.  The best kind of potatoes are a waxy yellow kind.  Those are the kind that are the most common in Spain, and they taste great in this dish.  In North America, a good sub would be Yukon Gold.  I hardly ever peel my potatoes, but I do for this dish.

This recipe does not say how much olive oil to use, but I remember that you are supposed to use quite a bit.  I used more than just enough to cover the pan...... maybe 3-4 tablespoons?  That's just to cook the potatoes and onions.  To cook the whole thing together, I did use just enough to cover the pan.

The Tortilla is so versatile- you can have big, thick slices as a main course, or lay some thinner slices inside a crusty roll and have a bocadillo- sandwich.  Another common way to eat this is as a tapa- cut into small cubes and skewered with toothpicks as an appetizer.  It's yummy hot, room temperature, or cold, too. 

Tortilla Española

my Mom's recipe

2 medium potatoes...peeled and chopped (like Yukon Gold or similar)

1 medium onion, chopped

Olive oil
6 eggs
Salt (1/4- 1/2 tsp) and pepper (to taste)

1.  In a large, non-stick skillet, cook potatoes and onion in oil (3-4 Tablespoons) until soft but not mushy.

2.  Beat 6 eggs in a separate bowl. Add cooked potato mixture to eggs.  Get all the bits of onion and potato out of the skillet.

3.  Return the skillet to the heat with any leftover olive oil.  If not enough to coat bottom, add a bit more to cover the bottom.  Swirl hot oil to cover sides of pan as well. Heat until oil is very hot. Add potato mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover, turn down heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Check to see if half cooked. Turn by placing large platter or plate over top and turning (do this over sink since some hot grease will drip out).

4.  Slide tortilla back into pan, cooked-side up. Cook for a few minutes until set. Serve hot or cold or room temperature.

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