Spanish Tortilla de Patata
Potato Omelette, a typical and tasty Dish from Spain
Just five ingredients (eggs, potatoes, onion, oil and salt) to prepare the Spanish Tortilla de Patata, an easy recipe once you get the hung of this popular dish.
No, don’t think we are talking about Mexican tortilla; the Spanish Tortilla de Patata is quite different. While the Mexican version is cooked using unleavened flour, we can imagine the Spanish Tortilla as an “eggs and potatoes” cake.
As you may already know, the potato has its origins in America, and didn’t became popular in Spain until the end of the 18th Century. So, what’s the origin of nowadays tortilla de patata? Roman Empire. In fact, the “ovorum” was a traditional milk and eggs flat cake.
But let’s come back to the Spanish omelette. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 3-4 medium potatoes
- salt
- (olive) oil
- ½ onion
Preparation:
First thing to do: Wash potatoes under water to keep them clean. Peel them and cut them in thin slices. Also cut the onion in slices.
Heat the oil in a pan (low flame). The quantity of oil depends on the measurement of the pan. Let’s say there must be oil enough to cook the potatoes and onion in it, approximately one cup of oil will be enough.
Meantime, beat the eggs in a bowl using a fork and add one pinch of salt per egg used for the tortilla. So, as we are using four eggs, you will have to add four pinches of salt to the eggs, after having beaten them.
When the oil is hot, but not too much, add the potatoes and onion in slices, carefully, and remember they have to cook slowly. We don’t want fried potatoes!
From time to time, turn them until they have a soft – cooked aspect. They must be tender, not fried.
When ready, drain potatoes (with onion) and add them to the beaten eggs in the bowl. Fold in until you have a uniform mixture.
The next step consists on heating again the pan, but this time with just some oil covering its bottom (medium heat). When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and onion mixture. It is now when we are going to give the tortilla its final shape. Shake the pan from time to time to prevent sticking and when you see the borders around are solid (be patient!) it’s time to flip the tortilla. Place a dish on the pan, covering it and flip the omelette carefully, as the center of the mixture is still liquid. Now that the mixture is on the dish, let’s add some oil again to the pan and wait a little bit until it is hot.
Add the mixture to the pan in order to cook the other side of the tortilla.
When will it be cooked? Even here, in Spain, there are some people who prefer the tortilla de patata not very cooked; on the other hand, others prefer it completely “solid”. One thing for sure: Both surfaces of the omelette will be solid and have a clear brown color. Again, don’t forget to shake the pan from time to time, we don’t want a stuck tortilla!
Finally, there are some different variations to this recipe; you can add boiled jam and cheese, vegetables or even tinned tuna.
Here you have a useful video on how to cook the Tortilla de Patata.Although you'll find some variations, according to my recipe, for example, potatoes are not cut in slices, the method is basically the same.
Enjoy!
