Rebecca’s Spanish Potato Tortilla
Up there with Jamon, the tortilla could be one of Spain’s greatest gifts to the world. When visiting Spain, I eat a wedge of tortilla for breakfast daily, usually with a ‘caña’ – a glass of fine Spanish beer, followed by another caña. I recently visited a couple of my dear Spanish friends, Jaime and his wife Rebecca, who have recently packed up their lives and relocated to an island off the coast of Brazil, where I was treated to a perfectly cooked tortilla almost every day, so I thought I’d share Rebecca’s recipe as its quick, simple and delicious.
Ingredients;
4 medium potatoes, peeled
3 large eggs
1 medium onion, diced
300ml olive oil
Salt, to taste
Method;
In a small, non-stick frying pan, heat the oil until it’s hot. Cut the potatoes and onions into small, thin wedges using a paring knife. Add these to the hot oil, season with some salt, turn down the heat and gently cook until the potatoes are soft.
Next, lightly beat the eggs in a bowl and set them aside. Remove the potatoes and onions from the oil with a slotted spoon and put them into the bowl with the eggs. Gently mix the potatoes through the egg mixture. Drain the oil from the pan (you can keep the oil to use again whenever the mood for tortilla strikes), pour the egg mixture back into the pan, and cook over medium heat. Do not stir the mixture once it’s in the pan – you are trying to get a golden crust on your tortilla, and stirring the mix will fuck it up (French technical term).
When the tortilla can be gently pulled away from the sides of the pan, it’s time to flip it. Herein lies the greatest challenge of making a tortilla. Place a plate slightly bigger than the frying pan over the pan. Place your hand on top of the plate and, using all your skill, flip the pan over in a single, smooth action. If everything has gone to plan, you should have a half-cooked tortilla on the plate. If it hasn’t gone to plan, you’ll have scrambled eggs with potato and onion. Now put the pan back on the heat and slide the tortilla off the plate and back into the pan to cook the other side—Cook for a few minutes further, or until the tortilla is cooked through. Tuck the sides of the tortilla in using a spatula, so you have a neat, cylindrical cake. Once cooked, slide out onto a clean plate and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Serve with Spanish cutlery (bread) and a glass or two of beer. Olé!
