Tortilla Española
This mystic treat is a gift from the Spanish cuisine gods.
I travelled to Spain for the first time in 2015 to walk the Camino.
This beautiful country then provided me with a savory introduction to the love of my life. No not a man....an egg dish, no, a potato dish... los dos?
My friends, allow me to introduce you to:
Tortilla de Patata
The MVP itself
Ingredients:
1 kg of potatoes (4 or 5 medium)
4 Eggs
Salt - to taste
Frying pan
Non-stick 9-inch round pan
1 concave plate (trust me)
Instructions:
Heat olive oil until gently bubbling in frying pan
Peel and slice patatas to medium thickness
- Said potatoes -
The slimmer the cut, the faster they fry which may leave them crispier than you need for this recipe.
But if you want to try it with crispy potatoes, live your dreams and let me know how it goes!
Cook patatas in olive oil until slightly browned, moving them as they cook
Wash and crack 4 eggs into a bowl and whisk until they’re as fluffy as a cloud
Quick PSA: Wash your eggs. I'm from California and have only ever bought eggs from big grocery chains who tend to sell pristine white shelled huevos. That being said, before moving to Spain I had never seen a feather on an egg shell.
Strain patatas out of olive oil, keeping oil in bowl under the strainer for later
Add patatas to egg bowl and mix well
Add salt
In separate rounded pan add olive oil and heat until nearly boiling (tiny tiny bubbles)
Add egg-patata mixture and cook for 8-10 minutes jostling the pan a bit to let set. Cook until underside is lightly browned
Take (somewhat concave) plate that’s larger than the skillet and place it on top of the pan. Take the handle of the skillet and place your hand on the bottom of the plate. With confidence, take the combo sideways and strain extra olive oil out of the mixture into the bowl of oil.
Make it stand out
Once you’ve cooked up one side, prep your plate…and your emotions.
This part can be tricky.
Note: Reduce heat for other side
Fully, slowly flip the skillet upside down. Lift skillet and then slide the tortilla back into the pan to let the other side cook for 6-8 minutes. Flatten tortilla into pan, evening it out
Strain oil carefully out of pan and slide tortilla onto the plate
If you're into waste reduction and getting the most out of your ingredients, be sure to have a glass jar on hand to store your excess olive oil.
Obviously,
you should try this recipe multiple times to practice the art of the flip and to add different ingredients to spice it up a bit. I personally recommend anything listed below but feel free to get weird with it, it's your kitchen damn it.
My random extras:
Onion (very typical)
Tomato
Peppers (jalapeño, bell, padron...)
Jamon Serrano (much easier to add when living in Spain)
Chorizo
Cheese (duh)