tortilla de patatas revisited

I had a surplus of free-range eggs today and decided to do something about it. The first thing that came to mind was to make a tortilla de patatas, which is something I don’t make often enough. So I went ahead with making one and suddenly realised… hey, this is way different to how I used to make them. A quick check on the first tortilla recipe I posted here in 2010 proved the point. I mean, both recipes are valid, but my love (and knowledge) of extra virgin olive oil has steadily increased over the years and this latest tortilla recipe shows that. My experience of other tortillas from different parts of Spain has also increased and so, without noticing, I had been adapting my tortillas at home based on different ones I’ve tried and enjoyed and I have discovered that, frankly, there are a gazillion ways of making this “simple” potato omelette.

Today’s tortilla was a bit more elaborate, mostly in the time involved. Caramalised onions, potatoes slowly “poached” in evoo… but you could also just sautée some onions and cook the potatoes more quickly in less oil by covering them with a lid. Up to you. Unlike some tortilla purists out there, I really don’t think there is a “wrong” way of making a tortilla de patatas other than it MUST be flipped. If you finish it in the oven or under a grill it’s a frittata. Sorry, them’s the rules. Anyhow this is how I did it today and omg it was so good.

Update: I’ve added an extra “trick” of using extra yolks. Apparently it’s what all the bars and restaurants in Santiago do.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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potato straw tortilla

Not exactly health food, but if you fancy a quick tortilla without having to cook potatoes, you can substitute these shoestring ones. You can also leave out the onions if you want this to be extra quick. There are several versions of potato crisp/chip tortillas out there, including one that was apparently made famous by Ferran Adrià, but I find that the potato straws stay a bit crunchier after cooking, which I like.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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tortilla-style pasta frittata

Today I was going to make a tortilla de patatas for my flatmate (really, you want to be my flatmate!) and then saw that there weren’t any potatoes in the house. So then I thought that I would try making a tortilla with pasta instead, which of course is a frittata. Which I have never made before.

Except I didn’t want to have to bother with turning on the oven and all that.

So I decided to try making a frittata but “tortilla-style”. Which means that instead of popping the frittata into the oven when it’s partially cooked, I would flip it and finish cooking it in the pan. And I think it turned out really well.

One day I’ll try a proper frittata, but this is a great option for people who either don’t have an oven or, like me, can’t be bothered to use it most of the time. It’s also a great way to use up left-over pasta.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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tortilla de patatas

How could I have not put up a recipe for tortilla de patatas before now? It really is an easy and very versatile dish. This is your basic potato & onion version, which actually would have been prettier with a bit of chopped roasted red pepper tossed in. But really, the possibilities are somewhere this side of endless. Pick a filling you like and have fun. Spinach, onion & red pepper tortilla is also one of my faves, as is one made with just grated courgette and later topped with cheese and white pepper and put under the grill to finish. It also makes a great “butty” with sliced tomato and salsa az (see below).

Ingredients and instructions below…

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