A wonderful Spanish dish made of two of my favourite ingredients: potatoes and eggs! It can be enjoyed as an appetizer, a picnic centerpiece, or a mid-afternoon snack. Tortilla is the best tapa, the first mouthful will transport you to beautiful sunny beaches.
First things first, dear Spanish friends don’t get mad at me for not following the traditional recipe. I simplified the original version quite a lot by mixing up the Spanish tortilla with the Italian frittata. I boil the potatoes for just a couple of minutes to ensure they are cooked throughout, and I add lots of paprika to enhance the flavours. This is not the most orthodox way to make tortilla, but it is (in my humble opinion) the easiest way. 100% results guaranteed as a tv commercial would say.
Another tip, the size of your pan will determine the final consistency of your tortilla. Use a smaller but deeper pan for a “runny egg” consistency, use a larger one for a crispier tortilla. There is no right or wrong! As Brits fight over the marmite’s dilemma, Spaniards argue over the consistency of their tortillas.
Personally, I am easy, I’ll happily eat any tortilla you give me.
I am writing while the tortilla happily fries and browns next to me on the stove. I am quite anxious, soon I’ll need to flip it over…please keep your fingers crossed for me!
My mind wanders and goes to my notebook with a to-do list as long as the Amazon River. We’re soon leaving for an epic holiday, I might dare say an epic adventure. We wanted to go on this holiday for so long that I can now barely believe it’s happening.
It’s our very belated honeymoon to Australia! We are organising this trip in less than three weeks (pure madness) and it has proved a bit more challenging than expected.
Australia turned out way more expensive than we thought, way bigger than we could ever imagine, and I can see way more beautiful than our mind can grasp.
We cannot wait!
We can’t believe how lucky we are. Again, I haven’t realised at all this is actually happening.
As I see time ticking to the departure day, and money flying from my wallet like rockets in space, I try to tick off as many tasks as possible.
Internal flights: check, Insect repellent: check, fight with the husband: check.
I keep repeating my new mantra these days: minimum viable product. Trying to do the bare essential to survive and only focusing on the most important things.
Self-doubt and anxiety, my dear old friends, often creeps in these days: will I forget to book accommodation? Will our covid tests be okay? Will I survive the crazy long flight? Will a spider eat me alive while I pee in a caravan park’s toilet?
These questions keep my adrenaline high. I get so lost in thoughts that I almost forget my tortilla on the stove.
Quick, it’s time for me to flip it.
The successful flip of a tortilla, frittata, pancakes, and crepes alike only comes down to one thing: confidence.
First, you need to take a deep breath. Second, believe in yourself, tortilla is all about fake it till you make it. Third, go for it. You got this.
You got this, I repeat. I look back to my notebook and the to-do list as tall as Mount Everest. I just flipped a huge tortilla and kept it all in one piece.
I got this, I can keep myself together and continue.
Cleaning the house: check, suitcase: check, tortilla for lunch: check.
To me, the kitchen is always a haven from worries, a teacher of so many lessons. Sometimes it’s all about having confidence – or pretending till you have that bloody confidence.
Repeat after me, we got this.
Tortilla de patatas
Course: Snacks, Starters6
servings15
minutes10
minutesA wonderful Spanish dish made of two of my favourite ingredients: potatoes and eggs! It can be enjoyed as an appetizer, a picnic centerpiece, or a mid-afternoon snack. Tortilla is the best tapa, the first mouthful will transport you to beautiful sunny beaches.
Ingredients
1 kg potatoes
1 spoon of coarse sea salt
1 big white onion
6 large/medium free-range eggs
1 tsp paprika
Black paper and salt to taste (I use one tsp of each)
A lot of extra-virgin olive oil
Method
- Peel the potatoes and dice them very finely (see pictures). Blanch them for 4- 5 minutes in salted boiling water.
- Finely slice the onion and fry them with two spoons of oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Don’t rush this, you want your onions fully caramelised, i.e. brown and soft.
- Now add the potatoes in, two more spoons of olive oil, and cook over high heat for 10 minutes. Don’t lose sight of your pan, you want them to become golden, not black from burnt. Stir every now and then.
- Crack 6 eggs in a large bowl, add paprika, salt, and pepper, and energetically stir all in with a fork. Now add your delicious mix of onion and potatoes and delicately mix with a spoon.
- Pour the liquid into the pan and even it up with a spoon. Now it’s showtime. Cook for one minute over high heat. Turn the heat down and put a lid on. Cook for five minutes on one side, then flip the tortilla with the help of a plate and cook for 5 more minutes. I believe in you, you can do this.
- Serve it hot with some tomato sauce in the Spanish way. It’s delicious even the day after.
Notes
- This is not the traditional way to prep your potatoes, you usually fry them directly. My method simplifies the whole process. By blanching them, you don’t have to worry about your potatoes being fully cooked or not, they’ll have the perfect texture all the time. You’ll also save 10 minutes as they cook much more quickly in this way. But be careful, do not boil your potatoes for more than 4 minutes, you just want them slightly softer, not completely cooked.
- You could also directly add the eggs to the pan but I find you have much more even layers of potatoes and eggs if you mix this separately.
- If your tortilla cracks while flipping it: breath in, breath out. We have all been there, just cut your tortilla in slices when you serve it and no one will ever know. This will be our secret.
