Tortilla Español

"In Spain the humble potato omelet, the tortilla, is revered like a priceless work of art. Round, yellow and resplendent, it is worshiped like a sun god. It is perhaps the most versatile and widely accepted dish in Spanish cuisine. It can be eaten hot or cold, while sitting down at the table or standing at the counter of a bar, in a sandwich on the train of as part of a picnic in the country."
The Heritage of Spanish Cooking by Alicia Rios

I love this simple dish and I hope you will too.

You start by peeling a few potatoes and slicing them thin. I used 3 large-ish new potatoes (a little over a pound) to fit in my non-stick skillet. Any potatoes will do in this recipe.

Next I fried the potatoes up in olive oil. Don't use regular vegetable oil or canola oil for this one. A key ingredient in the dish is the flavor of the olive oil. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and cooked them until they were soft inside and only slightly crispy on the outside (you don't want them browned).

Next you add eggs. I used 5 large eggs (I use about 4 eggs per pound of potatoes and find that this formula works well... that way if you want to change the size of the recipe you can do that with ease). Whisk them until the whites and yolks are well mixed. There is no need to add milk. Just pour the eggs into the pan.

To flip the omelet simply loosen the edges from the pan and slid the whole omelet onto a plate.

Next place the pan on top of the plate...

And flip the whole thing over... If you are really good you can do the whole flippy thing by tossing the omelet into the air and catching it... I know from experience, however, that while I might be good at the throwing part I'm not so good at the catching part. I use this cheater's method to flip with ease.

Cook it until the omelet is cooked through. I like to have the eggs very firm with a light brown color on both sides.

Cut it into wedges like a quiche and serve with a tossed green salad and some bread if you'd like. For our meal I cut up a lovely pineapple to go with dinner.

Cheers,

Jenn