Cooking with Kent and Vidushi: Spanish Tortillas

Dearest fine readers of Mirror,

Welcome back to Cooking with Kent and Vidushi! We hope our short break last week didn’t leave you missing us too much. This week, Kent is sharing a recipe for an instant classic.

************

Last weekend, equipped with some potatoes and a carton of local farm eggs, a recipe was brewing in my pantry: a Spanish tortilla!

The tortillas of Spain share their name with the Latin American variety, but they have much more in common with egg dishes found across the Mediterranean world, from Italy’s frittata and Provence’s trouchia to Tunisia’s tagine and Persian kuku.

In Spain, the tortilla is a go-to comfort food. You can find it morning to night, everywhere from museum cafeterias to tapas bars. It is a comforting, unpretentious and versatile dish with just three main ingredients: eggs, potatoes and olive oil. Salt is the only seasoning it truly needs, but we suggest adding diced onions, a bit of garlic and a dash of paprika. The result is golden, aromatic and soul-warming; infused with the flavor of olive oil, the potatoes are velvety and the eggs are not the least bit dry.

Whether you are a beginner in the kitchen or a culinary master, it is well worth your time to add this dish to your repertoire. Once you’ve got the basic recipe, be creative: rosemary, chopped piquillo peppers or capers would all be excellent additions.

This recipe we’re sharing here is the result of some trial and error, inspired by comparing versions from a few cookbooks. While the ingredients are homey and simple, the technique does take some practice to get right. Flipping the tortilla can be tricky. We recommend using a nonstick pan that is not too shallow and cooking the tortilla on low heat. Make sure it is set before flipping!

Serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, as an appetizer or a light main with a green salad, or pack it for a picnic. The tortilla is best enjoyed at room temperature, so we recommend letting it sit for thirty minutes before serving. It’s best eaten alongside your friends and family. 

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds potatoes, about three large potatoes, thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you have one!)

1 cup olive oil

Half a medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic (optional)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

Six eggs

Salt and pepper

1. Warm the oil in a large skillet (preferably non-stick) over medium heat. Add onions and potatoes and saute, stirring often, until golden and cooked through.

2. Transfer onions and potatoes to a bowl with a slotted spoon and reserve cooking oil. Season potatoes and onions well with salt and pepper, and add garlic and paprika, if using. Mix in beaten eggs.

3. Wipe pan and add two tablespoons of reserved oil. Pour in egg mixture, smoothing down any potatoes that stick up, and cook on low, running a spatula around the edges to test if set.

4. Once the tortilla is set, gently slide it onto a plate, then cover with another plate. Holding plates together, invert the tortilla and slide back onto the skillet to cook for a few more minutes until set.

---

---