Spanish Omelette

Spanish omelette, a mainstay of tapas bars, also comes in the monickers of - Tortilla Espanola or Tortilla de Patata. It's amazing that the lovely simple dish of Spanish origin (obviously!) made up mainly of only potatoes, onion, and eggs can be such a good comfort food. You can enjoy this either warm or cold so it's good for barbecues and picnics.

My mother used to cook this all the time though her version has the potatoes cubed while here its sliced very thinly. If you've got a mandolin slicer, slicing the potatoes would be a doddle just watch out for those fingers. And make sure to season it well with salt (sea salt has always been my choice). I consulted several sources for this recipe to come up with my own. Most of them uses a lot of oil, even though it's olive oil I tend to shy away from too much greasiness. Some have, in my opinion, too much eggs. I'd rather have a more 'equal' balance of potatoes and eggs in my omelette.


Spanish Omelette

500 g  waxy potatoes (Charlotte, Desiree, Jersey Royals) - peeled and sliced very thinly
1 medium onion - sliced
6 eggs - beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. In a 23cm (9-inch) frying pan (preferably non-stick), heat about 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
2. Once hot, tip in the onions then the potatoes. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir a little to mix with the oil. Lower down heat, cover, and cook for about 10-15 minutes stirring to turn carefully midway through.
3. Remove potatoes and onions from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels for about 30 seconds or just long enough to remove excess oil.
4. Mix the potatoes and onions with the beaten eggs making sure it seeps in between the layers of potatoes.
5. Remove excess oil from the same pan leaving just enough to coat the bottom. Heat again with hob on high.
6. Put the egg and potato mixture into the hot pan and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Lower down the heat to the lowest setting and leave to cook for about 20 minutes.
7. After this, there would be very little liquid left on top. Loosen the edges and bottom of the omelette. Cover with a plate larger than the frying pan. With one hand on the plate and the other on the pan handle, quickly flip the omelette onto the plate.
8. Heat up the pan again with a little olive oil. Once hot, slide in the omelette back to the pan uncooked side down. Let cook on medium heat for another 3-5 minutes.
9. Dish up and serve warm or cold with green salad.