Asturian-American Migration Forum

Tortilla (Potato Omelet)

½ cup olive oil (using olive oil really does have a major effect on the taste)
2 pounds potatoes (7 to 8 medium), peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
salt to taste
6 eggs (large)

Heat the oil in a 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced potatoes and cook them very slowly in the oil, without letting them brown. This will take 10 or 15 minutes. Add the onion and salt. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes total time. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Drain the potatoes of excess oil and add them to the eggs. Mix gently but well.

Add a bit of oil to the skillet and pour in the egg-potato mixture. Cook over medium heat without letting the omelet get too brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Shake the skillet from time to time to keep it from sticking.

Place a flat lid or plate over the skillet. Invert it over the kitchen sink so that the omelette falls out of the pan onto the plate or lid, and them immediately slide it off back into the pan. Cook on the reverse side about 3 to 5 minutes more. The idea is to have the outside well done without getting it too brown, but to keep the center just barely cooked. Keep shaking the skillet periodically to prevent sticking. Add a little more oil if necessary.

Slide out of the skillet onto a serving platter, being very careful not to get the hot oil on your wrist. Serve hot, or at room temperature, cut into cubes as a tapa, skewered with toothpicks. I prefer it at room temperature, and had it that way in quite a few bars in Spain, but it is very good hot, too.

Enjoy. You will probably have to experiment with cooking temperature and timing a few times to get it perfect.

This is also very good if you substitute a can of garbanzos (or an equivalent quantity of leftover garbanzos) for the potatoes.

Yes, it is amazingly tasty cold, which makes this a great picnic dish. Of course, if you're taking it somewhere for the picnic, you probably shouldn't wait too long to eat or let it get too warm.

I had it several times served in bars as a "bocadillo," which is a sandwich made with a roll or a large chunk cut from a "barra" (a loaf shaped like the French baguette).

You're absolutely right, Bob: I can't imagine making it without olive oil! It would probably be pretty bland.

Bob, is the idea of using garbanzos to replace all of the potatoes or just some of them? I've never heard of that dish.

I use the garbanzos in place of all of the potatoes from time to time.

My whole life I thought this was an "omelet." The first time I was at a friend's house as a kid and his mom made a real western omelet (with cheese, peppers, etc.), I was like, "what the hell is this?"

When I lived in Asturies, I would go down to the bar under my apartment and have tortilla and cold red wine or maybe a congac for dinner all the time. It was always served cold or room temp. as a pincho (small plate).

Bob, thanks for the recipe for the Spanish omelet. My dad used to make this omelet for me when I was a kid. He used an iron skillet when cooking his omelets. This was one fond memory I have of his cooking.

I will try your recipe.

Ken

One thing to add about tortilla. Many people (me) find the "flip" to be an incredibly frustrating, and usually futile, process. To get around this, I do the following:

Cook tortilla in an oven-safe pan
When tortilla has set except for the top, place it on the top rack of your oven (at the top rack's highest setting) and use the broiler to set the eggs on top.

That's a good idea, Xose.

I find the flip easier or harder depending on the pan and the receiving plate. A pan with angled side (non-vertical) and a fairly flat plate help a lot. Even so, it often falls apart, probably because I've used too little egg.

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Muy buena idea, Xosé.

Me parece que dar la vuelta sea más fácil o más difícil dependiendo de la sartén y el plato receptor. Una sartén con el lado en ángulo (no vertical) y un plato bastante plana son utiles. Aun así, muchas veces cae a pedazos, probablemente debido a que he usado muy poco huevo.

Muy probablemente, Art; pues el huevo es el que hace de alguna manera como de "pegamento" del conjunto.

Lo que suelo hacer es colocar un plato llano que tenga un diámetro mayor que el de la sartén encima de ella, poner la mano libre encima de él, y de manera sincronizada y con un rápido giro darle la vuelta procurando no mantener el plato firme

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Most probably, Art; since the egg is what somehow makes itself the "glue" of the whole thing.

What I use to do is to place a plain dish with a diameter greater than the pan over it, to put the free hand over it, and in a syncronized way and with a quick twist to flip it procuring to keep the dish firm in it place

I cheat! I have a Frittata pan. It is two skillets that will hook together. You just hook the second pan on top and flip it over. Works great!

That's an interesting idea, Charolette. Here's a photo of a frittata pan (used for an Itallian omelette).



Es una idea interesante, Charolette. Aquí hay una foto de un sarten frittata (usado con la tortilla italiana).

That looks like my pan and it really works good. It is much easier than using a plate, but I still flip it over the sink because I always seem to fill it a little more than I should!

We also use a frittata pan at home. Much useful than the skillet and the dish. My boyfriend cooks really well and has no problems, but when I cook (nearly ever) everything slips from the skillet (and I flip the omelette over the sink, just in case <<)

Happy new year!

Ha, ha, such cheaters! Well, I do make a mess sometimes. I view it as a way to "live dangerously" just a little bit.

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¡Ja, ja, sóis tramposas! Pues, de vez y cuando se me cae un poco. Lo veo como una manera a "vivir peligrosamente" un poquito.