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.

Jacket Potato

First time I heard the name, I had in my head an image of a potato in a dinner jacket swanning around in a party. When the lady in the counter handed it to me I thought - why it's baked potato! And so that was another English lesson for me. Jacket potato or baked potato is one of those sublime comfort food that you would want to have on a chilly day. Simple, basic but very satisfying. My favourite topping for this would be crispy fried bacon on melting grated cheese, while my youngest daughter loves baked beans on the same. There is a large variety of toppings available in local sandwich shops ranging from the simple grated cheese or tuna mayo sweetcorn to cream cheese with smoked salmon. The humble potato is of course great source of carbohydrates, rich in vitamin C, B, and other minerals like potassium and magnesium. That is mighty fine unless you're in a low carb diet then you'll have to eat this less frequently. Still there's nothing like tucking into a piping hot jacket potato on a cold day.

Suggested potato varieties to use are those of the 'baking' type. Usually in supermarkets they have labels on the shelf or the package saying if it is baking potato. Here in UK the more popular ones are King Edward, Maris Piper, and Desiree. You would want your potato to be floury to give you that fluffy inside once you slit the skin and opened it straight from the oven.


Jacket Potato
(Baked Potato)

baking potatoes
oil (optional)
ground sea salt (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F.
2. Pierce potatoes all over with fork.
3. [Optional] Put one or two drops of oil on the skin and spread it all around. This will make the skin very crispy.
4. [Optional] Sprinkle (or roll) the oiled potato with a little salt.
5. Bake in the oven for about 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours or once a knife or skewer can be easily pushed in the middle of the potato.
6. Take out of the oven and make 2 slits on top made in a cross fashion. Push gently from the sides to open up the cross. Fluff the potato a little and top with butter (optional) and topping of choice.

Mash Nosh

It was left over day, time to polish off all food left over from previous days or else banish them to the rubbish bins. I have a surplus of potatoes that were showing signs of sprouting. Mashing them would be the best option - I thought, besides J2 & J3 absolutely adores mashed potatoes.

Until now, I have never tried mashing potatoes with an electric mixer. It has always been with a potato ricer or a hand masher. But I got Delia Smith's How to Cook Book One where she extolled the virtues of this, waxing lyrical on how it made the mash potatoes so smooth. I've always been gullible so off I went to try her formula. And indeed it was true! It's the first time I've made mash that was this creamy and smooth. She also insisted that the potatoes be steamed and not boiled because the water made it less creamy. The kind of potatoes you use is essential also. As a rule the big, fat, floury, easy to break up ones good for baking (jacket potato) is fine for mashing as well. Varities recommended are King Edward, Desiree, or Valor. Here is my adaptation of her recipe: (J2 pay attention!)


Mashed Potatoes

1 kg  potatoes
60 g  butter
4 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp single cream
sea salt and pepper to taste

Peel and quarter potatoes. Steam for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Tip the cooked potatoes in a bowl. Add in butter, milk, cream, sea salt (about 1-2 tsp) and pepper.




Beat with an electric mixer with low speed at first to break up the potatoes. Then turning the speed higher to mix it to a creamy, fluffy mash.

Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

Lovely mash served with left over Braised Beef Brisket and steamed vegetables.