A traditional Spanish Omelette with Potato and Onion. This versatile dish is great for anytime of day, can be made ahead, and is the epitome of simple Mediterranean cooking.
I was first introduced to the traditional Spanish Omelette, Tortilla de Patata when my family hosted an exchange student from Madrid in 1988. Monica came to live with our us during my eight grade year, and she became the big sister I never had. She was patient with our traditional American cooking, but every now and then we would step things up and make gazpacho, paella (with her help!) and this traditional Spanish tortilla. Below are some photos from a family trip to Spain to visit Monica in the year 2000. HOLA MI HERMANA!!!
It continues to be a main thread of conversation regarding healthy eating, that the “mediterranean diet” is the ideal model. I consider this recipe to be exemplary of why this type of cooking makes so much sense. It’s literally five ingredients, all that should be chosen with the highest level of quality, and cooked simply together. The tortilla becomes a great meal option for any time of day – cold out of the fridge for breakfast, or heated slightly and topped with a raw salsa salad as shown here.
Many variations of this recipe call for copious amounts of olive oil to be used in the poaching of the potatoes and onions… This is not exactly a “light” dish, but the olive oil absorption rate into the final product totals approximately 4 Tbsp, or 1/4 cup out of the original full cup used. And, we all know EVOO is good for us!
The two pictures above show the potatoes and onions cooking in the olive oil, and then the final tortilla just after being flipped in the pan. I followed many variations of this recipe but landed on the final one mostly based off Smitten Kitchen’s version https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/tortilla-de-patatas/. The raw salsa “salad” is a nod from a Jamie Oliver version, and this makes the whole thing much better. I can’t find the actual recipe for that part, but this is the video link if you want to check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb4kCB7VAsM. Whatever version you make, feel free to add in other veggies like a regular frittata – this is a flexible dish that is really about the method more than anything else. But make the salad!
One of the tricks to making this raw salsa “salad” is grating the tomato on the small side of a box grater, allowing the juice to collect in the bowl, but keeping the fleshy pulp and seeds on the side for the most part. This juice brings a vibrant flavor to the dressing.
Tortilla de Patata
Ingredients
Tortilla de Patata
- 3 to 4 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 lbs)
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 cup olive oil
- 6 extra-large or 7 large eggs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper don’t skimp
Raw Salsa Salad Topping
- 4 medium plum tomatoes, very ripe
- 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 handfuls mixed salad greens, or micro-greens
Instructions
Tortilla de Patata
- Prepare potatoes and onions: Peel potatoes and onion and slice them very thin with a mandoline, the slicing blade of a food processor, or by hand. If either are on the large side, first cut them in a half lengthwise so the slices will be in half-moons.
- Cook potatoes and onions: Heat oil in an 8- to 10-inch skillet, ideally nonstick, over medium-high until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and onions in even layers and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes, flipping and nudging potatoes around to ensure they cook evenly. Potatoes are done when they are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. They should not get brown or fall apart in flipping (unless you like your tortillas with softer, more broken-up potatoes, as some do).
- Drain potatoes and onions: Transfer potatoes and onion to a colander set over a bowl and drain them. Season potatoes and onion with salt and pepper and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. (You can make the raw salsa salad now!)
- Make the tortilla batter: In the bottom of a large bowl, lightly beat eggs with a couple good pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in drained potatoes and onions. If you have 10 minutes, definitely let them soak together for that long; it makes a difference in how well the finally tortilla stays together. If you’re in a rush, it’s not going to ruin the dish if you skip it.
- Cook the tortilla: Add 2 tablespoons of the drained cooking oil back to the skillet over medium-high heat. Pour potato mixture into skillet and flatten the potatoes with a spatula until they’re mostly even. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, moving and shimmying the skillet and nudging the egg around (so it runs underneath) for a minute before letting the tortilla cook undisturbed until the top is wet but not very runny, and it is golden underneath. I found this took about 8 minutes.
- Loosen the tortilla with a spatula then slide it onto a large dinner plate. With your hands in potholders, invert the skillet over the plate, take a deep breath, and flip it back into the skillet. You can also use a lid for the pan to invert the tortilla, and simply slide it back in upside down. Shake the skillet to straighten the tortilla and use a spatula to gently tuck the edges back under, if needed.
- Return the skillet to the stove and cook tortilla to your desired doneness, another 2 to 3 minutes.
Raw Salsa Salad
- To make the salad, take two of the tomatoes, remove the seeds and juice, leaving just the skin and pulp. Finely dice the tomatoes into small bits, setting them into a large shallow bowl.
- Take the other two tomatoes, and using the small sized side of a box grater (see picture above) grate the tomatoes to collect fresh tomato juice into the bowl with the chopped tomatoes. To that, add in the red wine vinegar, the olive oil, and a heavy pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. When you're ready to serve, toss in the basil and whatever salad greens you want - top the tortilla with this raw salsa salad like frosting on a cake!
Notes
