How to make Tortilla de Patata!

Tortilla de Patata is a Spanish potato omelet. It was actually the first Spanish food I ate while in Spain. Go into any restaurant or bar and they will probably have one. It is a very popular pinxtos (The basque name for tapas, pronounced peenchos). It might seem more like a breakfast food but they eat it for a snack or for lunch or dinner. They are also made with meats and cheeses put into the middle, but for now I am mastering the basic Tortilla de Patata. With only a few ingredients that you most likely have at home.. give it a try!


These are pictures from when I made two small tortilla de patatas at home with my host father and sister.


My host father explained that he takes one potato per person plus 2 potatoes. So if you're making this for a family of 5, you should use 7 potatoes. If you're just making it for yourself or maybe one other person, you could still make extra and save it for the next day. Here, it is common to eat the left overs the next day on a sandwich!

Ingredients: 

6 potatoes

6 or 7 eggs (I think we ended up using 7)

half a large onion

1/4 - 1/2 cup of milk

olive oil

salt

1. Peel potatoes

2. Chop up potatoes!

You can just chop it into small-ish chunks if you'd like. My host father says his family chops it up more in random pieces like in the picture below. 

3. Heat a pan of olive oil over high heat.

Test to make sure it is hot enough by adding one piece of potato and making sure it bubbles

4. Add potatoes to the pan

Lower heat slighty

Stir every couple of minutes for even cooking

                                                                                                                                5. After the potatoes are half way done, add half a diced onion       (After about 5 or 6 minutes of cooking)

6. Cook for another 5-6 minutes or until potatoes are completely cooked and just starting to brown

7. While the potatoes are cooking...

Mix 6 or 7 eggs (about same amount as potatoes used)

Add a good splash of milk

Whisk together for a few minutes until there is no separation

Add a little salt

8. Take potatoes out of pan and drain oil

Place on paper towel to remove access oil

9. Add potatoes into the egg mixture 

10. mix together slowly making sure you don't mash up all the potatoes.

11. Heat pan and add a little olive oil

We used a smaller pan and made two because they're easier to flip (so I suggest doing this)

You could also use one large pan instead

12. If using small pans like we did, add half the mixture to the pan, then decrease the heat to low-medium

13. Cover and cook

Keep an eye on it... you want it to be more than half way cooked through so you're able to flip it onto a plate.. but the top should still be raw egg and you don't want the bottom to be burnt

About 8-12 minutes maybe

14. Now is the tricky part... The Flip!

I took a video of my host father doing it so you could see what to do. 

Flip the omelet onto a plate

Turn up the heat and add more oil to the pan

Slowly return the omelet to the pan, raw egg side down of course

15. Cook for just another 1-2 minutes and its done!

This one was mine! YUM!

Ta-dah!! Tortilla de Patata, a Spanish omelet! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!