The Other Kind of Tortilla

We spent this weekend at my parents’ house – hence the lack of posting activity. However, I did manage to snap a photo of one of our culinary efforts why we were up there. We got back from a trip upstate in the early evening and wanted something quick and low effort for dinner, so we turned to an old standby: Spanish tortilla. Unlike in Mexico, a tortilla in Spain refers to an omelet, and perhaps the most common variety is tortilla de papas: potato omelet. Cheap and easy, and delicious hot out of the pan or cold the next day in a sandwich. Ours looks a little floppy because we had a lot of eggs and not too much potato. I’m going to adjust the recipe below for something a little firmer, but if you really love eggs, feel free to add a couple more.

Tortilla de Papas

2 large potatoes, sliced thin
6 eggs
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Heat a couple Tbsp of oil in a large-ish skillet. Layer the potatoes in order to get maximum surface contact. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender and a little brown, flipping them periodically to get both sides.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, whisk the eggs thoroughly in an adequately-sized bowl, adding a little extra salt and pepper if you like. One the potatoes are tender, pour the eggs on top. As the omelet begins to take shape, lift up the sides and let some egg run under the cooked edge in order to firm up the egg base under the bottom layer of potatoes.

3. Once the eggs are cooked most of the way, you’ll need to flip the tortilla. Since the potatoes are fairly heavy, I would really recommend sliding on to a place then using the plate to flip it back into the plan.

4. When the eggs are cooked all the way through, it’s ready to serve!

Just like any omelet, you can season or add ingredients however you like. Caramelized onions, peppers, herbs, pretty much anything will work. Maybe not ice cream.