Tortilla de Patata!

Tortilla de Patata! Kit says to me one night at a bar while we celebrate the end of a busy work week. He wants to make a Potato Omelet Spanish style. This is one of my favorite dishes if not for it's simplicity and frugality.

The Tortilla de Patatas or Tortilla Espanola is a cross between a french omelette and an Italian fritatta. It's a dish popular in Spain and is served as both a main dish and as a tapa or appetizer. It can be served warm or cold and eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like to eat it in the early afternoon with a bottle of wine and a salad. Upon researching, reading, and watching a multitude of badly produced, executed, overcooked, and and generally misinformed variations, I humble present my definitive version of what a Tortilla de Patatas is. Lol

I'll make a full instructional video to follow the trailer. Yay...

Ingredients:
3-4 medium potatoes
1 small yellow onion
11 large eggs
1 cup of good olive oil
Salt to taste

Basic Instructions:
Peel and slice the potatoes. I first quarter the potatoes length-wise then slice them thinly. Cutting them about an eighth of an inch thick. (NOTE: I have seen some people cutting them thicker and I just don't agree!)

Soak the potatoes and rinse them in cold water to get rid of some starch.  You can let them soak in the cold water while you cut the onion.

Slice up your onion.  I like to french them, but you can cut them how ever you like.

Drain and thoroughly dry the potato slices.  Let me say this again. THOROUGHLY DRY the potatoes.

I used a wok for the frying because it was what Kit had hanging around the kitchen. Fry using olive oil at a moderate-high temperature until they are golden brown and crunchy.  Watch them carefully as they can get burnt fast. Drain them well and season them with your salt.  Fry your onions.

While the potatoes and onions are still hot, mix them into the well beaten eggs.

In a good pan (I brought my own) cook on medium heat gently moving the pan around and working the Tortilla. After about 3-4 minutes when the top is still gooey and the eggs are  a little less runny, turn the tortilla over to cook on its other side.  I say turn, but what I really mean is flip it!

This is where it gets fancy.  A good way to do it is to slide it on to another pan, placing your original back on top and quickly flipping it over.  In the video, Kit got a little excited and didn't frame the shot so well, but I think you can still get a good idea. Lol

After about a minute back on the heat, your Tortilla is done.  The center should still be nice a saucy when you cut it open.

Try this basic recipe for Tortilla de Patatas yourself and let me know what you think. It’s a great dish for brunch with friends and can be enjoyed by everyone. It is especially good with chorizo sausages on the side, some bread, olives and a glass of red wine. Once you’ve perfected the classic version you can experiment with adding various other ingredients, some of my favorites such as butter roasted chestnuts, saffron and sea urchin roe, white truffles from Alba, or simply a few slices of seared foie gras. But that's just me. ENJOY!!!