Tortilla de Patatas + What Else to Eat it With (Vegetarian)
A beloved family recipe, the technique that will get it perfect every time and a salad, pà amb tomàquet and peppers to make the perfect lunch
Everyone in Spain loves tortilla de patatas. And everyone that cooks in Spain knows how to make one. It is one of the national symbols we all agree on, in a country with many diverse regions. Respected and beloved journalist Iñaki Gabilondo once dared to give lyrics to the national anthem joined by chef José Andrés, the only ones we would all agree upon, according to him:
Pulpo, gazpacho
Tortilla de patatas sin cebolla o con
y un plato de jamón.
Migas, paella, lechazo, pan tumaca
Salmorejo y papas con mojo picón.
Pisto, cocido
fabada, sobrasada,
pescaíto frito y bacalao al pil-pil.
Grelos, croquetas, patatas a la brava
Marmitako y cordero al chilindrón
Even if many may argue about if we should have it sin cebolla o no (with or without onion), it’s a comforting dish to many of us, especially if we live abroad. A couple of weeks ago I wrote an essay on the meaning of comfort food as an expat and this one was for sure featured as a dish I always come back to.
I normally make a full meal out of it, adding different side dishes to complement the omelet, which is super nutritious in itself but feels better when well accompanied. Here I bring you 3 that are never missing: a simple salad, Shishito peppers and pà amb tomàquet.
The salad
There are so many versions to this, you could add lentils to have extra protein and artichokes for an extra layer and crunch, but the one I bring you is more a side salad than a full meal: you just need a mix of salad leaves, pitted olives, pickled onion (I buy mine in a Jewish deli and they make it with sumac, sooo good!), feta cheese (or any similar sheep cheese) and sunflower seeds. Toss everything together in a salad bowl, add extra virgin olive oil (you want good stuff, cold pressed with lots of flavour, because you are going to eat it raw), balsamic vinegar and salt. Glorious!
The peppers
In Spain I would eat Padrón peppers with my tortilla for sure, but here in Boston the alternative are Shishito peppers. Both are actually pretty similar, so I am content. They are both varieties of Capsicum annuum, though Shishito are longer in size and wrinklier. Also, you have more options to find a spicy one if you eat the Galician peppers, as they say: os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non (“some are hot and others aren’t”, it’s a spicy pepper roulette). I prepare them the same way, whichever I cook: I blister them in a frying pan with oil (this one is better if it’s not olive as it burns faster than other varieties) and then I sprinkle fleur de sel on top. Better to eat them hot!
The bread
Yes, we are eating carbs already with the potatoes, but Spaniards can not have a (fun) meal without bread either. And Catalans like me will have it with tomato. Pà amb tomàquet is literally “bread with tomato”, but it’s not a bruschetta. The kind of bread matters, though not that much, if I am honest. If you can find other kinds, avoid the sandwich bread slices. Better use a sourdough or a ciabatta like mine here. In Catalonia we have what we call pà de coca and pà de vidre (crystal bread), and it’s airy, crunchy and delicious, perfect with tomato and olive oil! The tomato has to be juicy and ripe, because we will smash it onto the bread. In the States the best option I found is cocktail tomatoes. And again, good olive oil here.
All you need is to toast the bread a little bit, cut the tomato in half and spread all the juiciness on top of the toasts (we discard the rest). Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt. Perfection. After this, you won’t want to eat bread any other way!
Some tips
Making a tortilla de patatas is not difficult at all, but you’ll have a perfect one if you follow these tips:
You need a proper pan. One that is not scratched (we don’t want the omelette to stick!) and one that is not too wide and shallow, so it holds the tortilla and gives it some heigh. Mine is non-stick and 9,45 in (24 cm). Some people have just one pan they only use for their omelettes in Spain. I am one of those people.
The eggs should not be chilled, so take them out of the fridge as soon as you start peeling the potatoes.
You can use different varieties for the potatoes but opt for one that fries well (not one that will melt in the hot oil). Also, the potatoes don’t have to fry actually. We want to cook them slowly, so they release water and they become tender, with some color, but not fried. So poach them controlling that the flame is not too high (about 7-10 minutes).
There’s people that cut the potatoes laminated, and I used to for a long time but I felt the egg didn’t have enough space in between the layers, so now I dice them in squares, more or less regular so they cook at the same speed.
For the onion, the best variety is the yellow onion as it’s quite sweet and will confit nicely as well. You can cut it however you want, but in small pieces so it all integrates in the tortilla. And cook it suuuuper slow: we don’t want burned onion! (By the way, you can skip this and become part of the hating Spaniards if you like, but my neighbour used to say the tortilla queda amorosida with the onion, so that’s what I do, I add love to it).
Once the potatoes are done, skim them out and add them to the bowl where the whisked eggs are. This will make the eggs start coagulating with the heat and will also help the flavours integrate.
I always cook everything in the same pan, to help with cleaning later. So, once you have removed the potatoes, save most of the oil because you can reuse it (always to cook potatoes in it) and leave some in the pan to poach the onions next.
Because the eggs already have oil from the potatoes and onions, you don’t need to add much more on the pan before pouring the mix, just a little bit so it doesn’t stick. Then, turn the heat up and pour the egg mixture. You’ll see it cook very fast: move it around with a spatula so different sides have time to set as well. Then, let it be for 20 seconds for it to make a solid layer underneath. Get a dinner plate (bigger than the pan) and place it on top of the pan. Turn it around so the omelette is on the plate and the pan is empty. I know this sounds scary but it’s very simple. Don’t attempt to turn it on air if you don’t want to eat lunch from the floor!
Then you just have to slide the omelette back to the pan so the other side cooks as well. Let it be for half a minute and then turn it again on the plate.
That’s it! You just made a perfect tortilla de patatas!
You can leave it cooling while you fry the peppers (on another, wider pan) and prepare the salad. Don’t add the oil-vinegar until the end. Same with the bread. But you can start serving your drinks of choice and cutting some cheese slices!
Ingredients
8 small eggs / 6 large eggs
3 large potatoes (350 g aprox. / 12.3 oz)
1 medium yellow onion (150g aprox. / 4.2 oz)
Extra virgin Olive oil for poaching
Cooking oil for frying
Balsamic vinegar, to taste
Salt, to taste
Fleur de sel, to taste
Shishito peppers or Padrón if you can find them
Mixed Salad leaves
Pickled onion, sliced
Mint leaves, roughly chopped
Feta cheese, crumbled
Sunflower seeds
Olives, pitted
Bread, toasted
Cocktail tomatoes, ripe
Instructions
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Peel the potatoes and dice them is small squares.
Place the frying pan on medium heat and add olive oil to almost cover the potatoes. Wait until it’s hot and add them in. It should bubble lightly. Poach the potatoes for 7-10 minutes, turning them a couple of times so they all cook the same.
On the meanwhile, peel and chop the onions.
Crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl and whisk them swiftly.
When the potatoes are soft and slightly golden, skim them in the mixing bowl and mix them with the eggs. Add salt.
Remove most of the oil from the pan (reserve it for another time) and add the onions. Poach slowly making sure they don’t burn. 10-15 minutes.
Skim the onions inside the bowl, mix again and add more salt.
Add or remove oil in the pan according to how much is left. You want just a bit so the tortilla doesn’t stick.
Heat it up and add the egg mixture. With a wooden spoon or spatula, move the mixture a bit so it cooks evenly. Then, let it be for about 20 seconds. A solid layer will form on the side touching the pan.
Take a dinner plate and place it on top of the pan. Turn it around so the tortilla is on the plate and the pan is empty. Put the pan back on the flame.
Carefully slide the tortilla back to the pan. You can use the spatula to help you. Let the tortilla cook on the other side for half a minute.
Place the plate on top of the pan and turn it again so the tortilla is on the plate, now cooked from both sides. Let it cool slightly or serve it right away!
You can now prepare the side dishes. On another, wider pan, pour some cooking oil and heat it up. Add the peppers (carefully because they can splatter!).
Turn them around when they are blistered on one side. When they are done on both sides, place them on a plate with kitchen paper to remove some oil. Serve them hot with fleur de sel sprinkled on top.
Get a salad spinner and fill it with cold water. Add your leaves in it and let them hydrate for 10 minutes. You can use the time to prepare the vegetables.
Throw the feta cheese, the pickled onion, the olives, the sunflower seeds and the mint leaves in a big salad bowl. Add the salad leaves after removing the water and spinning them. Add the vinaigrette just before serving the salad. Mix it all up.
Toast your bread and add the tomato, the olive oil and the salt right before eating.
¡Buen provecho!
