Potato and onion tortillas

Potato and onion tortillas on Flickr by beFOODled.

The first time I tasted a potato and onion tortilla was in 2005 in Munich, Germany. I was visiting a pal from JSkool who is a true lover of all things Spanish. She cooked this for breakfast one day and fed five adults and a baby.

I thought it was delicious but never tried to cook it myself. All that layering seemed too complicated until I found a simple-looking recipe and made two tortillas for our Transformer tapas party. They turned out golden, crispy and full of potatoey goodness. You just need to use a non-stick pan otherwise the crust will stick to the bottom (an inside scoop I found out on Saturday).

One of my cooking magazines calls this dish a tapas classic. You can serve it hot or at room temperature, the way I did.

Tortilla de patatas (potato and onion tortilla)
Makes two tortillas that serve 20 at a tapas party

1 1/4 cup olive oil
12 potatoes
1 large Spanish onion
1 clove garlic
12 large eggs
salt and pepper

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Slice the onion into half moon slices and mince the garlic. Divide all ingredients in half and set aside. Divide the oil among two same-sized frying pans and heat on medium heat. Add the potato slices, the onion and the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook gently for about 20 minutes or until almost soft. Remove from heat.

At this point, cook one tortilla at a time.

Beat six eggs in a large bowl. Remove the potato mixture from one of the frying pans with a slotted spoon and add to the eggs. Remove all but one tablespoon of oil from the frying pan. Return the potato and egg mixture to the frying pan.

Fry for five to seven minutes or until crispy and brown on the bottom. Shake the frying pan or run a spatula down the sides periodically to prevent sticking. Cover the with a large plate and flip the pan upside down to turn out the omelette. Slide it back into the pan to crisp up the other side for five minutes or so.

Repeat with the second frying pan full of potatoes.

Let cool on a cooling rack or serve hot in wedges or squares.