Tortilla Española is essentially the national dish of Spain, in my opinion! Commonly known as the Spanish Omelette or Tortilla de Patata or Potato Omelette, it is eaten as a tapa, for breakfast, in a bocadillo (sandwich), or for light dinner with salad and a bit of jamón in Spanish homes. It tastes great whether served warm, cool, or at room temperature. It has nothing to do with the Mexican corn tortilla but it is actually similar to the Italian Frittata. There are many variations of the recipe as the tortilla is very versatile.
My quick hearty version uses potatoes, frozen mixed vegetables, onions and eggs as these were ingredients I had in Andorra.
You’ll need:
- 500g onions chopped
- 200g potatoes peeled and chopped or sliced thinly
- 200g frozen mixed vegetables or any vegetables you have in your fridge
- 4 nos large eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for pan frying.
- Goat’s cheese, roasted or blistered cherry tomatoes, freshly chopped parsley and sweet paprika for garnishing
- A squeeze of lemon for the extra zesty taste.
Serves 4 as a tapa or appetizer
Directions:
- In a large, 10-12 inch round non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Carefully place the potato, frozen vegetables and onion mixture into the frying pan, spreading them evenly over the surface. You may need to turn down the heat slightly, so the potatoes do not burn. (Literature has it that you must add enough oil to cover the potatoes! But I don’t think this is necessary)
- Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture do not brown. The potatoes, if it is diced into small bits or sliced very thinly, it should cook pretty fast. If you can poke a piece of potato with a spatula and it easily breaks in two, your potatoes are done. Remove from the pan.
- Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat by hand with a whisk or fork. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the potato vegetable onion mixture. Mix together with a large spoon.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add egg and potato mixture, spreading potatoes evenly in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low to prevent the tortilla from burning. Cook uncovered until the bottom is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Gently shake pan so tortilla doesn’t stick, then slide a spatula along edges and underneath tortilla. Place a large plate over pan and quickly turn plate and pan over so tortilla falls onto plate. Slide tortilla back in (uncooked side down), carefully tuck in sides with a fork, and continue cooking over medium heat until eggs are just set, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the tortilla sit in the pan for 2 minutes.
Serving suggestions:
- Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
- If you are serving as an appetizer, slice a baguette into pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the tortilla into 1.5” squares and place a piece on top of each slice of bread.
- I served mine with goat’s cheese and blistered or roasted cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of sweet paprika.
- One way of enjoying them is on corn crisps, rice thins or buckwheat crisps for gluten free options instead of bread.
Tips:
Variations:
- Green Pepper – Add 1 green or red bell pepper (chopped) to the potatoes and onions and fry.
- Chorizo Sausage – Slice a Spanish chorizo sausage and add to the potato and onion mixture after frying.
- Ham – Using a couple thick slices (1/4″) Serrano ham or bacon, finely chop them.
- Potato chips – Feran Adria’s version uses olive oil fried potato crisps instead of potato slices.
- Other vegetables commonly used are Asparagus, Artichokes, Sauteed mushrooms with truffle oil.
Tortilla espanola
Tapas on corn crisps