Tortilla Española

As I have mentioned before, I was blessed with the most amazing host family when I studied abroad in Valencia in the fall of 2005. José and Elena Mansilla, a retired couple in their mid-sixties, completely adopted me as their second daughter...they will always be "mis otros padres."

A thing of beauty

We had a Monday night routine that actually made me look forward to Mondays: watching Mira Quién Baila, the Spanish version of Dancing with the Stars, and eating tortilla española for dinner. I loved Elena's tortilla so much that three weeks in I asked her to teach me how to make it and she happily obliged.

Crowded pan as described in Step 3

The first week I helped out as Elena prepared the dish. I will never forget how fast she could peel a potato with a paring knife (I cheat and use a vegetable peeler now). I watched as a seemingly over crowded saute pan filled to the brim with potatoes and onions slowly softened as the onions melted into the potatoes to form a golden mixture under her patient hand. When the potatoes and onions reached the right point, I reached for a wisk to beat the eggs and Elena stopped me and showed me how to properly beat the eggs "a la española," otherwise known as whirring them around horizontally with a fork.

Finished potato and onion mixture

We slowly incorporated the potatoes and onions into the eggs, seasoned the mixture with salt (Elena always adding a pinch more salt than I thought and always proving to be right) and a couple flips in the pan later, "¡ya está!" which loosely translates to "there you have it!"  The next week I flew solo, with José jokingly reassuring me that he was ready to place a take out order just in case, and I made my first of many tortillas españolas.  After that, it became my job to make it every Monday, with the exception of the one Monday that I taught them how to make my dad's pancakes.

a la española

The recipe and method follow below. Tortilla makes fabulous leftovers, both cut up and stuffed into crusty bread for a "bocadillo" or served with a light salad and topped with aioli or spicy mayo. It has a permanent place in my comfort food rotation and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Leftovers with Sriracha mayo and arugula salad

What you need:

• Potatoes - one large potato per person. I  went for 2.5 for Greg and I in this case
• Eggs - the number of people/potatoes plus one; round up to 4 if you use 2.5 potatoes
• Onion - this I don't have a rule for.  I always use a whole onion, smaller or larger depending on the number of potatoes
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil - start with a few tablespoons and then eyeball per instructions below
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

How to make it:

1. Prepare your ingredients by finely chopping the onion and peeling and chopping the potatoes.  It is important to chop the potatoes into uniformly-sized pieces so that they will cook at the same rate.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add onions.  Cook onions for a few minutes until they start to get soft.
3. Add potatoes to the pan and toss to coat in oil.  At first the pan will seem very crowded, but I promise it will cook down.  I still get stressed in that initial minute that the potatoes hit the pan, but it is not necessary, so don't!
4. Cook the potatoes and onions down until they become a golden color, like in 3rd photo above.  This takes some patience and tending...about 25-30 minutes, though sometimes more.  Be patient - it's worth the wait! Over that time, continue to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan and toss the potatoes to make sure they are evenly cooked.  Add more olive oil as needed if the pan starts to get dry or the onions and potatoes are sticking.  You don't want to lose the tasty browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
5. As the potatoes soften, break them up a bit.  You will see that the onions almost melt away into the soft potatoes at this point and that is what you are looking for.
6. When the potato/onion mixture is ready, beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Take a spoonful of the mixture and stir into the eggs to bring them up to temperature.  If you added everything at once, it would scramble the eggs in the bowl, which you obviously don't want.
7. Once the eggs, potatoes and onions are incorporated, season with salt to taste.  As I mentioned above, Elena always added a pinch more after I thought it was ready, so just trust your palate and then maybe add an extra, teeny pinch.  I also love adding a sprinkling of red pepper flakes for a bit of color and kick at this point.
8. Add the mixture back into the hot pan and cook for a few minutes until you see the edges are cooked up and golden.
9. Now for the "hard" part...flipping the tortilla.  Take a flat plate and place it over the pan.  In one swift motion, flip the pan over so the cooked side of the tortilla is facing up on the plate. Then carefully slide it back into the pan to cook the other side.  I actually have Greg do this if he is home since I have pathetic wrist strength, but if I'm in a pinch I just say a little prayer and do it myself. If tortilla breaks a little as you slide it back in, just mush it back together...it will be fine! 
10. Cook the other side for about 2 minutes and then remove from the pan using the method described in Step 9.
11. Cut into thick slices and enjoy.

Tortilla will keep in the fridge for a few days, though I doubt it will last that long!  Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments and I will be more than happy to answer them. ¡Buen provecho!