Tortilla de Patatas

Filed in archive Recipes on October 14, 2007

Want a recipe for a simple and satisfying supper? How about a breakfast dish that really hits the spot? Or an easy, gratifying snack? The tortilla de patatas or tortilla española can be all three.




Tortilla de Patatas is merely a mixture of thinly sliced potatoes and onions that are cooked in some olive oil, then cooked again with some eggs. It can be enjoyed warm, cold or at room temperature.

This dish can be found at virtually every Tapas bar in Spain. The potato and onion Tortilla is its simplest version, but it is also available with additions like chorizo and roasted peppers. Before I get on a train in Spain, I buy a sandwich which comprises a slice of Tortilla stuffed into the Spanish version of the baguette. A filling and delicious treat!

The basic recipe calls for what looks like a lot of olive oil. Don't be alarmed, most of it is drained off after the potatoes and onions have cooked.

Tortilla de Patatas
serves 10-12 as a tapas, or 4-6 as a light meal with a salad

1 ½ cups of olive oil
4 medium-sized potatoes
1 onion
6 large eggs
salt to taste

Warm the oil into a medium-sized skillet on medium heat
While the oil is heating up, peel the potatoes and slice very thinly and cut up the onion finely.
When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and onion to the skillet.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat together the eggs.
When the potatoes can be easily broken apart with a fork and onion is soft, scoop the potatoes and onions out of the oil with a slotted spoon and add to the beaten eggs.
Add salt generously and mix.
Drain most of the oil from the skillet into a bowl (save to use again next time!), leaving just enough oil to coat the skillet.
Pour the egg, potato and onion mixture back into the skillet and smooth the mixture with the back of a spoon.

After the bottom half sets up comes the tricky part...you need to flip the Tortilla.
Find a plate that is of equal size or larger than the size of the skillet.
Turn the plate up-side-down and cover the top of the skillet, then, with one hand on the plate and one hand on the handle of the skillet, quickly flip the skillet up-side-down, allowing the Tortilla mixture to fall onto the plate.
Slide the Tortilla from the plate back into the skillet.
After you flip the Tortilla and return it to the skillet, if necessary use the spoon to reshape the tortilla.
When the Tortilla is more or less solid, you don't want it to brown too much, get a clean serving plate, and slide the Tortilla from the skillet onto the plate.
Cut into wedges or squares.