Tortilla de Patata (Spanish omelet)

This versatile dish is a staple at lunch-time and tapas-time at bars and in homes everywhere in Spain. The trick to making a really good tortilla is to avoid the temptation to slice the potatoes into straight, uniform slices. Doing so robs the resulting omelet of the nooks, crannys, and voids that are necessary for the eggs to do their thing. The other advantage of more randomly shaped, multi-faceted potato chips is that each piece of potato has the full range of potato textures, from the disintegrating thin edges, to the thicker centers, which are fluffy with a firm bite.

Ingredients

• 3 medium russet potatoes
• 1 small yellow onion
• 8 to 10 eggs
• 2-3 cups olive oil
• salt, to taste‍

‍‍Equipment‍

• 1 large non-stick frying pan
• 1 small non-stick frying pan
• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 slotted spoon or small strainer
• 1 flexible spatula
• 1 plate, large enough to cover the small frying pan‍

Method

1. Peel the potatoes, and rinse clean. Peel the onion.
2. Cut the potatoes into uneven, multi-faceted chips. The idea here is for each slice of potato to have a thicker area (though no thicker than half an inch), and thinner, tapered edges. You can accomplish this by cutting the potato in hand with a paring knife. Randomly rotate the potato in different directions as you chip off slices, using a slightly curved slicing motion (imagine that you’re whittling a piece of wood).
3. Cut the onion in much the same way, but with thinner slices, no thicker than ¼ inch.
4. In a bowl, toss together the potato and onion slices.
5. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat enough olive oil to almost submerge the potatoes and onions. Cook the potato and onion, stirring occasionally, until the potato pieces are completely tender, fluffy at the thickest parts. They will likely begin to fall apart before they’re done, that’s okay.
6. While the potato/onion mixture is cooking, crack the eggs into the mixing bowl and beat until combined.
7. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon or small strainer, let the excess oil drain off, and add them straight to the bowl of eggs. Make sure to gently fold them in, and get the eggs moving a bit. The heat of the potatoes is going to begin to cook the eggs, and this is critical to the success of the omelet. However, if you dump in the hot potatoes and don’t stir a little, the heat will scramble some of the egg, and leave the rest cool. What we want is an even thickening. The heat of the potato & onion mixture will cook the eggs to a thick custard, which will allow the omelet to set up much faster on the next step, and cook through without overcooking the surfaces.
8. Season the egg, potato and onion mixture with salt to taste. It takes more salt than you might think to make this delicious, so add it gradually, tasting the mixture as you go. Keep in mind that these are usually eaten at room temperature, and thus need a little more salt to taste fully seasoned after they’ve cooled. When in doubt, add another pinch of salt!
9. In a small non-stick fry pan, heat some of the olive oil that the potatoes were cooked in, enough to coat the surface of the pan.
10. Add the egg/potato mixture to the pan, filling it almost to the top, and cook over medium/low heat until the mixture is beginning to set. It will still be quite liquid on top, especially in the center, but around the edges you’ll see it setting up. Gently lift an edge so you can take a peek and see if you’ve got some color on the bottom surface. Some people like a very pale omelet, without much color, others like a lot of golden brown coloring on the surface.
11. When you’re ready to turn the omelet, place the plate over the top of the pan. Invert the pan and plate together, so that the omelet is now sitting on the plate. Return the pan to the heat, add a bit more olive oil to coat the surface. Using a spatula to nudge it along, slide the omelet back into the pan, this time with the uncooked side down against the heat, and the cooked side facing up. Tuck in the edges a little, and cook over medium/low heat until it feels firm when pressed in the center, and has the color you’re looking for on the bottom surface.
12. Flip or slide the omelet onto a serving plate. It can sit out for hours. When ready to serve, cut into squares or wedges.

‍Classic accompaniments are roasted peppers, smoked salmon, tuna or anchovy conserva, pisto (the amazing Spanish take on ratatouille), and of course… bread!