I’m throwing a big Spanish Wine and Tapas party on the lawn this Saturday, so my post will be short!
I was talking to a group of girlfriends last week, trying to convince one of them to bring a Spanish Tortilla as I’m making Gambas al Aljillo (prawns in garlic, hot pepper and parsley) and albondigas (meatballs) with Romesco Sauce. No time to cook anything else.
Anyway, I promised them the recipe. It’s from my friend Lynda whose family comes from Galicia.
First of all, you will need a special pan. I use the 8 inch non-stick Calphalon frittata pan from Williams Sonoma (see below).
Spanish Tortilla (a la tia Mercedes)
serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Idaho potato
1 small onion or (better yet) half a Vidalia onion
Olive oil (basically — a lot)
salt and pepper
minced parsley
1. Peel and thinly slice the potato. Add olive oil to the large section of the frittata pan, heat the oil, add potatoes and cook them until they are golden brown. Arrange a colander over a bowl and add cooked potatoes. Let them drain.
2. Thinly slice the onion. Add more olive oil to the pan, heat and add sliced onions. Cook the onions over medium low heat ( this lets them retain their sweetness) until they are soft and golden. Add them to the potatoes in the colander and let them drain.
3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste. ( A little more than you think because you will be adding the potatoes and onions to the eggs)
4. Now add the (somewhat cooled) potatoes and onions to the eggs, stir gently and let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes.
5. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in the large section of the frittata pan ( you can use the drained oil from onions and potatoes, too). Start heating the small section of the frittata pan on another burner. No need to add oil to that one. When the oil in the large section of the pan is hot but not smoking, add the egg mixture.
6. Let the mixture cook and harden a bit and then carefully lift the side to see if its golden brown.
7. When the first side of the tortilla is brown, connect the smaller section of the pan to the larger, and turn over. Now place that section on the burner and cook until the other side of the tortilla is golden brown.
8. Slide onto a plate.
9. Can be served, hot, warm or at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate!
10. Sprinkle with a little minced parsley for looks .
Next time you’re in a tapas bar, check out how much a slice of this will set you back. You’ll be highly motivated to learn to cook this!