Make a Delicious Spanish Tortilla in 15 Grueling Steps
Do you ever crave a food and then make it for yourself? Me too! For instance, today I woke up dying for a Tortilla Española (that’s Spanish Tortilla, for you English speakers). So I made one, and now I am eating it as I write this. I invite you to join me and make one for yourself, because — as you may already know — they are totally freaking delicious.
If you’ve never tried one before, it’s basically an omelette/frittata with potatoes and onions in it, but somehow it works out to be so much better than you ever think it could be, given the simplicity of the ingredients. There are many variations on this dish, but this is the version which I find easiest and most tasty. It’s pretty flexible recipe, so you can throw in things like chard or tomatoes if you have them around. Today I added some kale, which I did to trick myself into getting nutrients because I’m very bad at eating my vegetables.
Anyway, it’s not that complicated to make, and it looks pretty impressive. It’s perfect to serve to guests as a light lunch, with maybe a little salad or a piece of bread. You can also it eat it late at night with wine or for breakfast the next morning. Basically, it is wonderful at any time for any reason, so just do whatever feels right, girl!
Here’s what you will need:
-4 to 5 medium potatoes (Yukon Golds are my fave, but you can really use any kind you want — just not tiny fingerling ones unless you want to spend hours peeling and slicing them.)
-1 medium onion
-2 cups olive oil (I know this is a lot, but you really do need it. Also, you can reuse it to make a salad dressing or pasta sauce.)
-6 eggs
-Salt & Pepper
-Optional: Kale, chard, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, or really any other veggie you have lying around that you think would taste good with potatoes and eggs.
The ingredients, prepped and ready to go!
Here’s what you do:
1. Peel the potatoes. Then thinly slice them. If you’ve got a mandolin now’s the time to use it. Otherwise, just hand slice them as consistently as you can so they cook evenly.
2. Dice up the onion.
3. Prep any of the other veggies you want to throw in.
4. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Give it a few minutes to really get hot, then slide the potatoes and onions into the pan. Toss in a large pinch of salt and some pepper and stir it all around to make sure that the potatoes are all covered by the oil.
5. If you’re using any hearty greens (kale, chard, etc), you’ll need to add them in at some point while the potatoes are cooking. The sturdier they are (kale is the most; spinach/lettuce is least), the longer they’ll need to cook. I’d add kale in almost immediately, but put spinach in only in the final moments. When you do add in greens, be sure to work them down into the oil so they wilt and are covered by the oil.
6. Cook the potato/veggie mix, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. This can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 10, depending on how much heat you’re using. Just keep a close eye on them, and be careful not to overcook the potatoes because they start to crumble and get messy — as mine did today : (
7. While the potatoes are cooking, whisk the eggs in a large bowl with a little salt and pepper.
8. Once it’s cooked, drain the potato mix into a strainer that you’ve placed into a bowl. Reserve the olive oil that you catch in the bowl.
9. Wipe the pan out with a paper towel, and the return it to medium heat. Put 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil into the pan and swirl it all around so the pan is coated.
10. Dump the potato mix into the bowl with the eggs and stir gently to combine it all. (If you’re adding veggies that don’t need to pre-cook, like tomatoes or fresh herbs, add them in at this point.) Pour it all into the heated pan. Cook it for a minute or two so that the edges start to get solid. Then turn the heat down to low, and cook for 5 or so minutes.
11. The bottom should be all firmed up, but the top will still be a bit runny. Carefully take a rubber spatula (or a metal one if you’re feeling really brave) and slide it all the way around under the tortilla to make sure it’s not stuck to the pan in any spots. Grab a dinner plate and ever so gently tilt the pan and coax the tortilla out onto the plate with the spatula. Do not freak out if it rips or tears a bit (or even a lot). These wounds will heal!
12. Wipe any stray bits out of the pan and put it back on the heat. Add a few more tablespoons of oil and swirl.
13. Now comes the TRICKY PART. (Be cool. Be cool.) We’re going to flip the tortilla over. To do this, take a second dinner plate and place it face down over the tortilla so it’s sandwiched between two plates. Flip the whole contraption over and pull the top plate (which used to be the bottom plate) off. The cooked side of the eggs will be face up now — magic!! Then carefully slide the tortilla back into the heated pan. This can be a little messy, but don’t sweat it because 99% of the time the tortilla comes out looking very beautiful anyway.
14. Cook the tortilla for a few more minutes, until it looks like all the runny bits are cooked and the bottom has a nice brownish color.
15. Let it cool in the pan for 10 or 15 minutes. Run a spatula underneath to make sure it’s not sticking, then slide it out onto a plate. (Or put a plate face down over the pan, and then flip the tortilla out onto the plate.)
Voila! Tortilla! Even if it breaks and gets a little crazy looking, you can usually mold it back into a circle and it will look fine. Today I accidentally overcooked my potatoes and rushed through the flipping process, so the whole thing got messier than normal, yet it still looks decent (as you can see below) and tastes very perfect. If you’re having guests over and want to get fancy, cut up some fresh parsley and sprinkle it strategically over the top to distract people from any blemishes.
The finished product, which looked a lot better in person than in this photo…
You can serve it warm or wait a while and eat it at room temperature. You can also stick it in the fridge, and it’ll keep for about a day — though be sure to zap it or bring it back to room temp since it won’t be as good when chilled. Enjoy!!!