Tortilla de Patatas

I started learning Spanish in middle school, carried on through high school, and thought I was going to major (or at least minor) in it at college. So I took three courses before I realized I had absolutely no time for a third program (Math and Teacher Education come first). For the first year, I had a young, hip professor that had just arrived from Spain. She was so nice and made the class a lot of fun, but we also got work done and actually learned something every class period. One time, her cousin was visiting her and she brought him to class so that we could use what we learned to ask him questions and have a conversation.

The day he was leaving, he decided to cook something for the class. He said this is a classic dish from Spain, the tortilla de patatas. Of course, it's nothing like the tortillas we use to wrap our burritos in, but more of an omelet with potatoes. It was my first time tasting this dish. Even though the dish is made of everyday ingredients, I don't know why I had never thought of combining the two together before. It certainly makes a filling omelet.

This recipe is actually a blend of many after I browsed and browsed. Apparently, most of the traditional recipes use one cup of oil to make this dish. I refuse to use that amount in any one dish, except when baking. Thankfully, I have a really good non-stick pan from IKEA. It was only 12 bucks for a 3-piece set and it's still working great after a year with no Teflon scratched off.



Tortilla de Patatas

- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 small potato, sliced 1/8" thick
- 1/4 small onion, julienned
- 1/4 red bell pepper, julienned

1. In a bowl, beat the eggs until just scrambled. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and potato. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, reduce heat, and cover. Leave it for 3 minutes and uncover. Check on potatoes. If too black, reduce heat a bit more. Cover and leave for 3 minutes again. Uncover. Repeat this process until the potatoes are just tender.
3. Turn up the heat a little bit and add eggs. Run your spatula along the sides to let eggs run down. Let it cook until the top is just a little wet but not liquid, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Grab a plate big enough to cover your skillet and plate it on top of the skillet. Invert the tortilla onto the plate. Place skillet back on heat and slide tortilla into skillet, uncooked side down. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Invert again onto a plate and serve!