The Perfect Spanish Tortilla

If I were to ask anyone what they thought Spain’s national dish might be, they’d probably say it’s the paella and many might agree. However for me it definitely has to be the humble Spanish tortilla. With just three ingredients (egg, potato and onion), it’s a family staple and an everyday classic dish that people in Spain will eat in one way or another most days of their week, either at home or mid morning with their coffee to stave off the hunger until lunch time. Great for breakfast, as a snack, lunch or dinner and it’s one of those fantastic all-rounder dishes that can be eaten hot or cold and is immensely satisfying and comforting.

I have very fond memories of my Spanish grandmother making this when I was little and me sneaking into the kitchen to pinch bits of fried potato when she wasn’t looking. Of all the dishes I have tried to recreate, this is the one I have managed to get pretty spot on the way hers tasted.

In Spain all cafes sell tortillas in slices called ‘pinchos’ throughout the day as snacks or tapas. Tortilla flavours tend to be added on top, as opposed to Italian frittatas which incorporate extra flavours into the egg mixture. Each bar adds their own toppings which can be as varied as your imagination cares to venture although the most common are tuna and mayo, ham and cheese, ‘jijas’ (which is similar to crumbled fried chorizo sausage meat) or a ‘vegetable tortilla’ which always has tomato, lettuce, white asparagus mayonnaise and, ironically, sometimes tuna or ham.

I am going to show you how to make a simple tortilla, which, once you have mastered, you can get more adventurous with and top with whatever you like. This recipe serves 4 as a main or 6 as a snack or starter and takes 40-50 minutes to prepare including prep time.

Ingredients:

• 8 medium-large eggs
• 1 kg potatoes, chopped
• 1 medium-large onion (you can use white but red gives a better flavour)
• Light olive oil or sunflower oil to fry
• Salt

Method:

You will need: a non-stick frying pan (20 – 28cm), a plate that just fits inside your pan, a spatula and a mixing bowl.

1. Peel your potatoes and cut them in to slices roughly as thick as a pound coin. They should not be too large or thick or they won’t cook through evenly. You only need to chop enough to fill your frying pan to the top (they will shrink a bit as the water evaporates).
2. Pour your oil into the pan – fill it about 1cm high. You’ll drain this off after frying, don’t worry! Turn the heat on high and tip the chopped potato in and mix to coat all the pieces in oil while the pan heats up – this will prevent the pieces from sticking together too much as the potato starts releasing its starch. When it starts sizzling and becoming translucent, turn the heat down to medium, you want to soften not brown them.
3. While the potato starts to cook through, chop your onion into fairly small pieces and incorporate into the pan. Now you start to turn the potatoes every few minutes or so with the spatula to make sure they cook evenly and don’t crisp up or clump together. continue to turn with the spatula until the potato is completely cooked – you an try small pieces to see if it’s soft. When it’s cooked evenly, turn the heat off and leave to cool a little.
4. Meanwhile, crack your eggs in the mixing bowl 6 -8 depending on how big the pan is. Beat the eggs well and mix in half a teaspoon of salt. Tip your frying pan slightly so the oil stays down one end and spoon the contents into the egg trying to drain as much oil off each spoonful as possible and mix into the egg. Don’t leave the hot potato in with the egg for too long or the egg will start to cook so this next bit needs to be fairly quick.
5. Pour nearly all of the oil into a separate recipient so that you can use it again (it gives a wonderful flavour when frying eggs). Leave about a tablespoonful of oil in the pan and put it back on a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, pour the egg mixture back into the pan and start mixing through until the bottom of your tortilla starts to set. Then immediately stop mixing or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.
6. Now turn the heat down to medium and poke in the edges of your tortilla all the way around your pan with your spatula (this is so that you can turn it over with ease). This whole process should take about 2-3 minutes at most. Make sure your tortilla is ready to turn by picking up the pan and shaking it gently backwards and forwards. If the tortilla slides as one piece, it’s set enough to turn over.
7. Pop your plate downwards onto the tortilla with one hand, pick up the pan and it turn it over onto the plate so you’re now holding the plate with the pan covering it. Lift the pan off and then confidently slide the tortilla back in the pan to cook the other side of the tortilla. Again, tuck in the edges with your spatula so you end up with a neat shape. The time on this side depends how well done you want your egg (I tend to leave it 30 seconds as I think it tastes better when it’s a still a bit runny in the middle!). Then slide the tortilla out on to your plate and it’s done!
8. To serve, cut into slices and serve with a simple, fresh tomato salad.