In Spain Tortilla de Patatas is a popular dish to serve for a light meal or enjoy as tapas with a drink. It’s similar to a frittata (although I would not recommend saying this aloud to a Spanish person! ) It’s a super simple dish with just a few ingredients – all of which are available locally all year round in the Northern Valleys. Once you get the hang of the tortilla flip, you can whip up this wholesome snack anytime you have hungry kids or friends dropping in for drinks.
Ingredients:
• 2 cups olive oil
• Half an onion. sliced very finely
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small slices
• 5 large free-range eggs (or 6 small)
• A pinch of salt
* This recipe suits a small 18 cm frypan (note must be non-stick!) and feeds up to 4 people.
Method
Add half a cup of olive oil to the pan along with the finely sliced onion and fry at a low to medium heat, ideally until the onion begins to caramelise. After a few minutes add the potato pieces, then add the reminder of the oil – enough to cover the potatoes (I thought this was a lot, but am assured it’s entirely necessary for the taste)!
Fry the potatoes until they are just softened. They must not be hard or mushy.
Then remove the frypan from the heat and drain the oil into a bowl. This is best done with a colander. You can reserve the oil and reuse later.
Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and lightly mix. Add the drained potatoes and allow to stand for a minute.
Turn the heat back on and add enough oil to just cover the base. This is best in a non-stick pan.
Add the egg/potato mixture and distribute evenly in the pan.
Once the edges start to cook and the base seems cooked you can prepare for the flip. Shake the pan a little to make sure it’s all holding together. It’s ok if it’s a little wet in the middle. Ideally it stays a bit runny.
Choose a plate just smaller than the pan and place face down on top of the tortilla. Gently flip the pan over so the tortilla lands squarely on the plate. Put the pan back in the heat and add a little more oil.
Then gently slide the tortilla back into the pan with the cooked side up.
Finish off gently and make sure you don’t overcook!
Slide the finished tortilla onto a serving plate and allow to cool before cutting into wedges and serving!
