I’m not sure why this is called a tortilla and not an omelet but that is a question for the Spaniards, I guess.
One of my fondest culinary memories of Spain is sitting in a tapas bar in Barcelona nibbling olives, pickles and a bite of one of these potato omelets spread with garlic mayonnaise and drinking a glass of sherry with friends. Does life get any better? The tortilla we ate was cut brownie style, a nice size for a late afternoon snack. For an entree, consider cutting into wedges, like you see here. And I can’t recommend the addition of a little garlic mayonnaise enough.
Spanish Tortilla with Roasted Red Peppers and Peas (recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)
- 6 Tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (3 to 4 spuds), peeled, and cubed quite small
- 1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed, dried and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
- chopped parsley (optional)
1. Toss 4 Tbsp. oil, potatoes, onion, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper in large bowl until potato cubes are thoroughly separated and coated in oil. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in 10-inch nonstick, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Reduce heat to medium-low, add potato mixture to skillet, and set bowl aside without washing. Cover and cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until potatoes are soft but not mushy, 15 minutes or so.
2. Meanwhile, whisk eggs and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in reserved bowl until just combined. Using rubber spatula, fold hot potato mixture, red peppers and peas into eggs until combined, making sure to scrape all potato mixture out of the skillet. Return skillet to medium high heat, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, and heat until just beginning to smoke. Add egg-potato mixture to the skillet and cook on the stovetop, shaking pan and occasionally lifting edges of the cooking eggs with rubber spatula to allow any uncooked eggs on top to dribble down and have direct contact with heat on bottom of the pan. Smooth the top of the mixture with a spatula. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, until bottom is golden brown and top is lightly set, anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, turn on the broiler. Set the top rack 6 inches or so from the flames.
3. Once the broiler is nice and hot, uncover the skillet and place it in the oven to allow the top of the tortilla to finish cooking, anywhere from 2 to 7 minutes. (Keep an eye out because the broiler cooks fast!) Remove from the broiler, cut the heat, and allow the tortilla to cool 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. Cut tortilla into cubes or wedges and serve with garlic mayo, if desired.
Photo credit: Ronnie Andren. Follow him at Street Sophisticator or via Instagram: @andronnie
