The Egg: Part 2 of 3, A Trip to Spain

My second egg recipe is a variation of the omelet, tortilla de patata.  It’s a traditional dish from Spain where it’s served in tapas bars.  I’m making it for lunch for me and my mom, with leftovers as a snack for Ken or Kurt.  Thinly sliced potatoes and onions are first fried in olive oil, then mixed with beaten eggs and thrown back into the pan to cook the eggs.  The tricky part of this dish is the fact that you have to flip the tortilla to cook both sides.  I use a non-stick pan.

Tortilla de Patata

• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 or 4 potatoes (roughly 1 lb) peeled and thinly sliced
• 6 extra large eggs
• 2 TB milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for frying

Slice thinly or dice small.

Here’s how I made it:

Slice the onion and potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

Season well; you won’t need to season the eggs.

Generously coat the bottom of a non-stick pan with olive oil and heat over medium high heat.

Be generous with the oil so the potatoes fry

Add the sliced potatoes and onions, andfry them til the potatoes are tender and brown; you may have to adjust the heat, depending on small/thin your potatoes pieces are.  I usually cover the potatoes for a few minutes to cook/steam, then remove the lid to let them brown.

I let them steam for about 5 minutes, stirring once

When the potatoes are cooked and brown, remove the mixture into a colander to drain.  Pour out any excess oil in the pan.

I was so hungry, I could’ve just eaten this!

Beat the eggs with the milk in mixing bowl and add the potatoes and onions.

MIx gently to combine

Pour more olive oil into the non-stick pan to fry  tortilla.  When the pan is hot, add the egg/potato mixture and cook until the eggs are set.  (I helped mine along by lifting up the edges and letting the eggs run onto the bottom– I was hungry)!

Cook til the eggs are set; you may have to turn down the heat a little if the tortilla is thick

Off-heat, take a heat-proof plate and place a plate over the pan (it’s better if the plate is big enough to cover the pan).

Bigger plate = easier to flip

Flip the pan over; the tortilla should slip out easily.

Tortilla should slide easily back into the pan

Slide the tortilla back into the pan to cook the other side.

Cook briefly on the second side

Remove tortilla to a serving platter, let cool briefly, then slice into wedges.  I ate mine with a piece of homemade sandwich bread; my mom had hers with ketchup, which is how she ate it for breakfast in the Philippines.

A light lunch or snack!