Back2Spain Goes East

Passport & Plate - Tortilla Española

Spain | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 yellow potato
1/2 white onion
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
aioli (optional)
How to prepare this recipe
*This is a "personal" size tortilla - for one person or two if served with or as a side. That's why I'm using a tiny egg pan (see accompanying pictures) but feel free to use a larger pan and double or triple the recipe.
Peel and coarsely chop potatoes. Each potato should be just under one bite. Coarsely chop the onion too.
Add oil to pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the potatoes then the onions. The pan will likely be crowded but don't worry! The potatoes and onions will shrink as they cook.
Every couple of minutes, gently stir ingredients around in the pan to make sure all pieces are being cooked evenly. Salt generous, tasting an onion to test for saltiness.
When some onions are turning crispy and brown and potatoes are nearly cooked (still firm but you can pierce with a fork), drain excess oil (you can reserve this for later use) and remove potatoes and onions to a bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat together eggs. Stir in the potato mixture.
Return pan to medium heat and add a half tablespoon (or more if using a larger pan) to the pan. Once oil is hot, ladle in the egg mixture. Gently push down sides to let uncooked egg flood in. Do this until more than half of the egg is set and then let cook for a minute or so more.
When egg is nearly set but still a little wet on top, place a plate on top of pan, sealing around the edges. Flip pan over onto plate and lift the pan, leaving the tortilla on the plate. Quickly slide the tortilla, wet side down, back into the pan.
Turn off heat and let tortilla continue to cook in pan for a minute or more, depending on how runny you like your eggs.
Flip back onto plate.
Slice and serve hot or let it cool, refrigerate and serve cold. Try with a side of aioli, or aioli spiced up with paprika as in the accompanying photos.
The story behind this recipe:
I left my job as a second-year attorney at a big firm in Manhattan to follow my passion - cooking - and take on an unpaid internship in a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Basque Country of Spain. It wasn't my first time traveling to Spain. I fell in love with the Iberian peninsula during a study abroad summer semester in Salamanca. I returned to live in Madrid after graduating from college and ended up staying for two years. Then, after law school and getting a stable job in New York, I took one of the biggest risks of my life and went back to Spain. That's when I started Back to Spain, a blog that shares my experiences in an intense culinary world, woven into recipes, questionnaires with creative individuals and stories about inspiring travel destinations. I spent six months working in two Michelin-starred restaurants, albeit having little prior culinary experience.
Although tortilla española isn't something I prepared for customers, it's a traditional Spanish dish that's ubiquitous in Spain. It's served everywhere, from highway rest stop eateries to elegant restaurants, in one version or another. I've had this dish so many times, in so many variations and in so many regions of Spain that it has become a comfort food for me. That's why for my entry, I prepared a version that's easy and requires few ingredients. And it's small enough that you can whip it up for lunch for one or two, without investing a lot of time peeling potatoes.