Spanish Tortilla (Egg & Potato Omelet Pie)
Think of this recipe as a giant potato and onion omelet cooked in olive oil. The trick to this recipe is finding the correctly sized non-stick pan to cook the tortilla.
Ingredients
- 4 yukon gold potatoes
- 1 large white onion
- 4 eggs
- 3-4 cups olive oil
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Add 3 cups of olive oil and 1 tbsp salt to nonstick pan.
- Peel, halve, and finely slice your potatoes into 1/8” thick pieces.
- Small-dice your onion into roughly 1/8” cubes.
- Heat 3 cups olive oil (or enough to cover the onions and potatoes)
- Onions and potatoes in the large non-stick pan to roughly 300F.
- Poach your potatoes and onions in the 300F olive oil until the potatoes are cooked through, roughly 25-30 minutes.
- Strain your oil into a vessel, keeping your potatoes and onions separate from the oil.
- Taste the potatoes, and if extra salt is needed, add some.
- Combine the potatoes and onion mixture in a bowl with 4 of your whisked eggs
- Gently stir to combine.
- Add back roughly 1/2 cup olive oil to the medium-heat pan
- Pour your egg and potato mixture into the pan
- Shaking the pan during the first 30 seconds, and allow to cook for another minute or two.
- Shake the pan again, and use a rubber spatula to move around the entire contents that are touching the surface of the pan.
- The goal here is to slowly increase the temperature of the total contents in the pan at the same rate.
- In the early stages of cooking, it is ok to move the pan around and mix the ingredients.
- Once the proteins in the egg begin to coagulate and reach a more solid state
- Turn your heat down to medium-low
- Continue to watch the tortilla as it cooks.
- Feel free to use your rubber spatula at this point to reach under the edges of the tortilla
- Try to begin to rotate the tortilla as it continues to solidify.
- After the edges and bottom of the tortilla have been cooked and solidified
- The visible center of the tortilla on the top of the pan is hot throughout
- You have arrived at the moment when you can move the rubber spatula around the edges and bottom of the pan
- Begin to rotate your entire tortilla around the pan without the tortilla sticking.
- This is the moment of truth, and is worth being very careful to make sure the tortilla bottom and sides are loosened from the pan surface.
- Before you flip your tortilla, take an empty bowl and a paper towel
- Gently pour the excess olive oil from your pan into the empty bowl
- Placing a hand over the edges of the tortilla so it does not slide out of your pan.
- Wipe off any excess oil from the side of your pan with the paper towel.
- Place a clean flat plate over the surface of the tortilla pan
- Flip the tortilla pan over so the flat plate is on the bottom.
- Remove the tortilla pan, and the bottom of the tortilla you were cooking should be on the top of the plate, facing you.
- Wipe the sides of the tortilla pan again
- Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil, and add your tortilla on the plate
- So the side of the bottom of the plate has time to cook in your pan.
- Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes
- Making sure to use your rubber spatula to push down the edges of the tortilla in the pan.
- During this process, try to turn your tortilla clockwise or counterclockwise in your pan once the bottom is cooked through.
- Once both sides of the tortilla are cooked, you are ready to place onto a serving plate and serve in slices.
Notes
This recipe sounds complicated, but it’s all about the cooking technique and having the nerve to just go for it. The ingredients to make a Spanish tortilla are bountiful and cheap, and the end result will blow your mind. Every café in Spain makes a variant of this tortilla every day, and it is truly a wonder to behold.