The Tortilla de Patatas, or potato omelet, is a traditional dish that’s been enjoyed throughout Spain ever since the potato was brought back to Europe from the New World. When I was living in Spain as a graduate student, Lola Dublang Reparaz welcomed me into her family and introduced me to traditional Spanish cuisine and the basics of cooking. Since then, the tortilla has been one of my favorite dishes.
Please enjoy the eBook. It features:
- My interview with Lola Dublang Reparaz
- Lola’s recipe for Tortilla de Patatas
- My recipe for Lemon Aioli
TORTILLA DE PATATAS (excerpted from ebook)
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 8 eggs
- sunflower or safflower oil
- salt
Instructions
- Begin by removing the skin from the potatoes. Over a bowl, cut them into small, irregular pieces about ¼ inch thick.
- In a large frying pan, pour in enough oil to come up the sides of the pan and mostly cover the potatoes (about 1½ to 2 cups depending on the size of the pan). Turn the heat to medium/medium-high and add in all of the potatoes while the oil is still cool. Sauté the potatoes for approximately 15 minutes, turning them frequently with a slotted spoon. It’s important that the heat not be too high. We want the potatoes to cook through and become transparent but not browned.
- Once the potatoes are nearly cooked through, use your spoon or a fork to push down and gently mash the potatoes so that they begin to come apart. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes (20 minutes total) or until the potatoes are completely cooked through and very soft. If you like, you can turn up the heat at the very end to finish them off.
- In a large bowl, crack open all 8 eggs and whisk together with a fork. Remove the cooked potatoes from the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a colander placed over a bowl to capture and drain off as much oil as possible. Next, transfer the drained potatoes to the bowl with the egg mixture. Use a fork to mash together and incorporate well. Add salt. Taste the mixture and add more salt if needed (a tablespoon or less should be sufficient for this amount of potatoes and egg).
- Place a new, smaller sauté pan (8 to 10 inches should be sufficient) on the stove top over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Once hot, add the potato and egg mixture to the pan. Maintain the heat at medium and cook slowly. Use a fork to move and distribute the mixture around the pan as we want everything to stay together when we flip the tortilla. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Place a large plate on top of the pan and very carefully flip the tortilla over onto the plate and gently slide back into the pan. Cook for 30 seconds and then do a second flip. I highly recommend purchasing one of those double, interlocking omelet pans, as it makes the process of flipping the tortilla a lot easier and less risky.
- The tortilla is now ready. Transfer to a plate and cover with another plate until ready to serve. It’s critical to cover the tortilla immediately or it will quickly dry out. Cut into 4 portions and place onto plates. Serve with a bit of house-made lemon aioli if you like.
LEMON AIOLI
This is so easy to make, especially if you have a Breville hand-blender.
Ingredients
(serves 6)
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup of sunflower or safflower oil
- pinch of salt
- juice from half a lemon
Instructions
- In the blender container, crack open the egg. Add a pinch of salt and the lemon juice.
- Pour in ¼ cup of the oil and begin blending. Slowly drizzle in the rest of the oil until you have a thick emulsion.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Fresh aioli will keep refrigerated for 3 days.
