¡Olé!
I spent a semester in Spain when I was college. I lived with a Spanish family, and I was lucky enough to eat their delicious food (and learn their mellifluous language). I have incredibly strong sense memories from all those years ago, and a traditional tortilla española tops that list. And it’s cheap, easy, and naturally gluten free. It has only a few ingredients, but all the sugars in the onions and potatoes caramelize since they’re cooked down so much, and it is sort of a taste extravaganza. ¡Qué bueno!
Tortilla Española
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
5-6 medium-sized red-skin or yellow potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8″ thick
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 large eggs
1. In a 12″ nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and add onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until mostly translucent {if you don’t have such a large nonstick skillet, split the recipe in half and use a smaller pan; no big deal}. Then add the potatoes, salt and pepper, cover and and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are wilted and soft.
2. While the potatoes are cooking away, beat the eggs in a separate bowl (one with a lip, if you have it) and salt and pepper just a tiny bit (the potatoes are already seasoned, remember). When the potatoes are ready, pour the eggs over the top of the potatoes and press the potatoes down so they are immersed in the egg and the top of the mixture is relatively even. Cook over very low heat, covered, about 15 minutes, until the egg is nearly set. Then remove from the heat, let stand about 5-10 minutes covered (until the top is completely set). Now’s time for the big switcharoo.
3. It’s time to flip the tortilla over, so we can brown the underside a bit. It’s much easier than it sounds. First, shake the skillet a bit to make sure that the tortilla is not stuck to the bottom of the pan (don’t worry – it won’t be). If it does seem a bit stuck, run a heatproof spatula along the edge of the tortilla to free it. Now place a large plate firmly on top of the skillet and, stepping lively, invert the plate and skillet together. Remove the skillet from the top. Now simply slide the tortilla from the plate back into the skillet, shimmying the plate as you go. It’s exhilarating when you see how pretty it is!
4. All that’s left to do is cover and cook again over very low heat, for about 5 minutes. Slide off the skillet and onto a plate, and serve either warm or at room temperature. There are a few traditional ways to serve it: Cut into squares with toothpicks as a tapa; or serve it on a roll. Any way you serve it, it’s delicioso.
¡Buen provecho!
Warmly,
Nicole
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