Spanish tortilla (tortilla de patata)
Whether as a main meal with a salad, as a tapa with a fresh beer or in a baguette as a bocadillo, the Spanish tortilla has become indispensable in Spain. It consists of simple ingredients but the combination of potato, egg, olive oil, garlic and onion creates an unforgettable taste experience due to the way it is prepared.
I hope you enjoy preparing your tortilla and look forward to your feedback.
- Preparation time: 1 hour
- Makes 8 tortilla pieces
- Difficulty level: Medium
- Ingredients
Ingredients for a pan with a diameter of approx. 20 cm. Makes 8 tortilla tapas wedges
Preparation
- 1. Cut onion rings
Peel the onion and halve it. Then cut the halves in half again and cut off thin onion rings from each
- 2. Cut potatoes into slices
Peel and halve the potatoes or quarter large potatoes. Then cut the potatoes into thin slices and make sure that all potato slices are approximately the same size.
- 3. Chop garlic
Peel the garlic clove and chop finely. Alternatively, a garlic press can also be used.
Start the cooking process
- 4. Fry/stew potatoes
Fill the pan with olive oil (height approx. 1cm) and add the potatoes. Stir the potatoes so that they are mixed with the oil everywhere. Initially set the stove to the highest level and once the heat for the first level has been reached, turn it back to 2/3 of the maximum heat.
The potatoes should be simmered in the oil and not fried. That's why it's important to regulate the heat so that the potatoes don't fry. Nevertheless, one or two potatoes should also take on color.
- 5. Add onions
When the potatoes have simmered for about 10 minutes, the onions are added. Stir in the onion well and let everything continue to braise, stirring occasionally and redistributing everything in the pan. Now salt and pepper.
Now you can also put a lid on the pan to speed up the process a little. Stir occasionally. After about 10 minutes, remove the lid again and continue to simmer without the lid.
The potato-onion mixture is ready when you can use the wooden spoon to break up the potato with light pressure. So keep testing whether the potato is already done. Depending on the type of potato and the size and thickness of the potato pieces, you should expect it to take around 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
- 6. Add garlic
As soon as you notice that the potatoes are cooked (you can break them up with a wooden spoon and apply light pressure) add the garlic. Distribute briefly and remove the pan from the heat. Now simply let the potato mixture cool in the pan. Once it has cooled enough to taste, season again with salt and pepper if necessary. ATTENTION: Some people ate the potato mixture completely because it was so delicious 🙂
- 7. Drain the potato mixture
Place a sieve on a bowl and pour the potato mixture into it so that the oil can drain off. For example, if you want to make two tortillas, you can still use the oil for that.
- 8. Potato and egg mixture
Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a whisk until foamy and add salt. Then add the potato mixture and mix everything well.
- 9. Finish tortilla 1/2
Add a little oil to the pan and put the stove on medium heat. Make sure it doesn't get too hot or the egg will burn. It will take a while for the egg to set. As soon as the oil has heated up, pour the potato mixture into the pan and spread it evenly. Shape the edges a little with the wooden spoon.
After about 4 minutes, the bottom half of the egg should be set. You'll notice it when you try to move the tortilla in one place with the wooden spoon and the whole mass moves. This is the sign that everything is connected and the egg is set in the lower half.
- 10. Finish tortilla 2/2
In this step the tortilla is turned over. It's difficult to describe, so I created a short video about it. Find a flat plate or a flat lid that fits snugly into the pan. It's best to find this out beforehand. Now place the plate on the tortilla and turn it over together with the pan. The tortilla is now on the plate. Pull the pan up and put it back on the stove. Now slide the tortilla from the plate back into the pan.
Now bake the other half until the egg sets. This usually only takes 2 to 3 minutes. Now use the rotation logic described above to put the tortilla back on the plate. If you like the color of the other side better, you can slide the tortilla back into the pan and put the other side back on the plate using the turning technique just described. Your tortilla is ready
Note: How long the tortilla is baked in the pan is a matter of taste. Some like the tortilla very light and juicy and others a little darker and not too juicy. Under no circumstances should the tortilla become completely dry. With a little practice you can find out what your taste is.
- 11. Serve tortilla
We serve the tortilla on a beautiful, large blue plate from Andalusia and serve smaller plates from the same ceramic series to eat the delicious tortilla pieces. It also tastes very good cold in a baguette as a bocadillo.
