Introduction
The Spanish tortilla, tortilla de patatas, is a thick omelette of potatoes and onions slowly cooked in olive oil. Served warm or at room temperature, it is a lunch, a picnic dish, or tapas cut into small squares. It keeps well for a day.
Written records of it go back to the early 19th century, and it has been a staple of Spanish homes and bars ever since. Whether to add onion is a famous argument in Spain; this recipe does. The tricky part is flipping it: use a plate a little larger than the pan and do it in one confident move.
Ingredients
- 600 g waxy potatoes, peeled
- 1 onion
- 6 eggs
- 200 ml olive oil (most of it is drained off and can be used again)
- salt
Tools
- A non-stick frying pan, about 24 cm wide
- A mixing bowl
- A large flat plate
- A sieve
Preparation
- Cut the potatoes into thin slices, about 3 mm, and the onion into thin slices. Toss them with a good pinch of salt.
- Heat the oil in the pan over a medium heat. Add the potatoes and onion and cook them gently for about 20 minutes, turning them now and then. They should be soft but hardly browned.
- Drain them in the sieve over a bowl to keep the oil.
- Beat the eggs in the mixing bowl with a pinch of salt. Add the warm potatoes and onion, press them under the eggs and leave for 10 minutes.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the pan over a medium heat. Pour in the mixture, spread it out and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until the bottom is golden and the edges are set.
- Put the plate upside down on the pan, hold it firmly and turn the pan over in one go. Slide the tortilla back into the pan, cooked side up.
- Cook for 3 more minutes for a soft centre, or 5 for a firm one. Slide it onto a plate and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting.