HISTORY & INTERESTING FACTS

The term 'tortilla' comes from the multilingual word 'torta,' which translates to a small cake. Often mistaken for a simple egg omelette, the Spanish affectionately call this dish Tortilla de patatas (potato omelette) or Tortilla Española (Spanish omelette). The exact origins of this culinary gem remain a subject of debate.

In the early 17th century, a renowned chef named Francisco Martínez Montiño, who served as the head chef to the Hapsburg Kings, left a culinary footprint with his documented recipe for Tortilla de Cartuja. This delicacy, created by Carthusian monks, involved a blend of eggs and cream.

However, the potato-infused version we recognise today made its debut in an intriguing manner. In 1817, an anonymous letter addressed to the Spanish Parliament recounted a tale of a farmer's wife who concocted a speedy dish for a group of military officers, utilising the readily available ingredients.

This marked the inception of the potato-infused tortilla. Over time, the dish has undergone various adaptations, with regional influences introducing diverse ingredients across Spain. I'll adhere to the classic rendition in this recipe, adding only a touch of onion to enhance the flavour.

Additionally, I'll introduce a culinary innovation – a tortilla hack pioneered by the celebrated Catalan chef Ferran Adrià. This playful twist deviates from tradition, simplifying the preparation to inspire even the most reluctant cooks to try it.

Also, if you'd prefer to watch me make one, you can watch a video at the bottom of this page!

Bon Profit! Raquel x

Serves: 4 adults for lunch, or cut into small (4cm x 4cm) squares for a 'tapa' plate to feed a small crowd

INGREDIENTS and EQUIPMENT

• 1 large brown onion, sliced using mandolin/knife (about 1/2 cm thick)
• 8 small/4 large washed potatoes - around 800 g (peeled, or leave unpeeled), sliced using mandolin/knife (about 1/2 cm thick)
• 6 eggs (at room temperature)
• 400 mL olive oil

You will need 2 extra tablespoon of oil for frying tortilla itself.

• 1 medium saucepan or deep frypan (I use a wok), you need a deep pan that is not too wide to cook potato in so that level of oil covers potato whilst cooking
• Slotted spoon
• 1 medium-large bowl
• Whisk
• 30 cm frypan (preferably non-stick)
• Dinner Plate that extends a little over the edges of the 30cm frypan for covering and flipping
• Over mitts for heat protection when flipping frypan
• Spatula or butter knife

METHOD

Part 1. Fry onion and Potato

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan or deep frypan (like a wok) over medium-high heat.
2. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over sliced onion and toss well.
3. Once oil starts to smoke, carefully add the sliced onion to pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until soft (you do not want onion to brown).
4. Remove onion from pan with a slotted spoon and let drain on a plate laid with paper towel.
5. Leave burner on to reheat oil.
6. Sprinkle 2 tsp salt over sliced potato and toss well.
7. Once oil starts to smoke again, carefully add the sliced potato to pan. Reduce heat to low and cook potato for 8-10 minutes. You're looking for cooked potato that is still pale in colour, not chips! You can carefully flip the potato over mid-way through cooking if you believe the bottom potato is browning too much.
8. Remove potato from pan with a slotted spoon and let drain on same plate as onion (on top of onion is fine).
9. Turn off stove burner and let vegetables cool for 5 mins.

Part 2. Fry Tortilla

1. Crack all eggs into a medium-large bowl, add 1 tsp salt and whisk egg mixture until frothy (45 secs).
2. Add cooled potato and onion to whisked eggs and mix gently to combine.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a 30cm (preferably non-stick) frypan over low heat.
4. Tip the combined potato and egg mixture gently into pan and push out towards edges so that mixture covers the pan evenly and the top is fairly even and flat.
5. Let cook for 3-5 mins. I check underneath by gently folding side of the omelet with a butter knife to see how brown it is.
6. Once bottom has browned enough, remove pan from heat.
7. Carefully place a plate over the top of the frypan and then USING OVEN MITTS so as not to burn yourself, grab the frypan and the plate like you're holding a burger and flip them so the plate is now underneath with the frypan on top, and the omelet now rests on the plate beneath.
8. Return the frypan to the stove top to reheat and add a tbsp oil to pan.
9. Using a knife or spatula to help push, slowly slide the omelet back into the frypan from the plate.
10. Tuck in the sides of the omelet down into the frypan.
11. Leave to cook on low heat for another 3-5 minutes.
12. Once bottom has browned enough, remove pan from stove and turn off burner.
13. Again, carefully place a plate over the top of the frypan and then USING OVEN MITTS so as not to burn yourself, repeat the flipping process so that the cooked omelet is once again on the plate.
14. Leave omelet to rest and finish cooking. Do not cut into omelet for at least 10-15 mins.

TIPS, CHEATS & TROUBLESHOOTING

If the eggs scrambled when mixing with potato and onion:  

You did not let the potato and onion mixture cool enough and the vegetables were too hot when added to the eggs, which caused the eggs to start scrambling. 

If egg is too runny when you cut into tortilla:

Although cooked, the egg at the centre of the paella will always be a little runny. It can be a matter of taste though whether you want this or not. If you prefer less a less runny consistency, use 5 eggs not 6.

There are several other reasons for too much runniness however. These include: Cooking time was not sufficient, potato and onion mixture was left too cool for too long reducing the heat when combining ingredients with the egg mixture OR eggs were cold (out of fridge) when used.

If my tortilla is ruined when I add it back to frypan or after flipping:  

Firstly, don't worry ... it will still taste delicious! I'm guessing though, your pan is not very non-stick and you may have needed to oil the pan and swirl the oil evenly around the base of the pan before adding the tortilla mixture for the first time.

If you're not confident with flipping, or you're not willing to risk it, don't worry there is a way out!

1. MAKE SURE you use an oven safe frypan for Part 2
2. At the beginning of Step 1 (Part 2) turn the grill on to 200 degrees celsius (180 degrees celsius if fan-forced)
3. At the end of Step 6 (Part 2), turn the burner off and place the frypan under the grill for 3-5 mins until brown on top. Turn off grill, take pan out and let omelet cool slightly in pan.
4. You will still need to get your tortilla out of the pan by flipping it so that the 'pretty' side is showing, but you can do this using a plate and oven mitts once the pan has cooled a little.

RECIPE VARIATIONS (including, vegan-friendly version)

Potato and Tuna Tortilla:

When using tuna, do not add salt to eggs.

Drain a 185g can of tuna (in brine/in olive oil) and break pieces up in a bowl before adding tuna to egg mixture at the end of Step 1 (Part 2). Continue recipe as per remaining steps.

Egg-free Tortilla (vegan friendly):

Substitute the eggs with –

• 600 g firm tofu
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp each of chopped chives and basil

REPLACE ENTIRE (Part 2) METHOD above:

• Step 1 (Part 2):
• Turn oven on to 180 degrees celsius.
• Step 2 (Part 2):
• Line bottom of 20 cm cake tin with baking paper.
• Step 3 (Part 2):
• In a blender, blitz tofu, 1 tsp cornstarch and nutritional yeast.
• Step 4 (Part 2):
• In a medium-large bowl, mix together tofu, potato and onion (cooked in Part 1) and chives and basil.
• Step 5 (Part 2):
• Pour contents of bowl into cake tin and smooth out top with a spatula.
• Step 6 (Part 2):
• Place cake tin into oven and bake for 35 mins (check after 20 mins, if browning to much on top, cover with foil and bake for remaining time)
• Step 7 (Part 2):
• Remove from oven and leave tortilla in tin for 5 mins before serving.

This plant based dish is best served hot or warm. Cut into quarters and serve a slice to each person with a lovely crisp green salad and some tomato relish (if desired).

WINE MATCHING & SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Egg-based dishes tend to harmonise beautifully withroséwines, offering a delightful pairing. However, if you prefer a crisper, more floral white wine with a zesty acidity, consider indulging inour albariño or pinot gris– both exquisite choices.

Should you opt for the Tuna and Potato variation, a wine with a touch more robustness is in order. It splendidly complements this dish's pronounced flavours, making our dry Rosé an excellent choice. Alternatively, a lighter style wine like ourTempranillo Jwould also work well.

This versatile dish can be enjoyed either hot or cold. Slice the tortilla into quarters and serve each portion with a vibrant, crisp green salad. Alternatively, you can place it between two slices of crusty bread, accompanied by a dollop of high-quality tomato or capsicum relish.

RECIPE HACK

Potato Chip Tortilla (using a packet of chips!)

Serves: 4 adults as a 'tapa' snack

INGREDIENTS and EQUIPMENT

• 175 g packet of plain salted chips
• 6 eggs (at room temperature) - you will need ALL 6 eggs for this recipe for chips to absorb
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 small brown onion, (diced and sautéed with a tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt) - adding onion is optional

You will need 1-2 tbsp of oil for frying.

• 1 medium-large bowl
• Whisk
• 15 cm frypan (preferably non-stick)
• Dinner Plate that extends a little over the edges of the 15 cm frypan for covering and flipping
• Over mitts for heat protection when flipping frypan
• Spatula or butter knife

METHOD

1. Crack eggs into a medium-large bowl, add milk, 1 tsp salt and onion (if using) - whisk mixture until frothy (30 secs).
2. Add all potato chips to bowl and combine until chips are all coated in egg.
3. Leave to absorb for 10 mins.
4. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a 15 cm frypan over low-medium heat.
5. Tip the combined potato and egg mixture gently into pan and push out towards edges so that mixture covers the pan evenly and the top is fairly even and flat.
6. Let cook for ~3 mins. I check underneath by gently folding side of the omelet with a butter knife to see how brown it is. Turn heat down if you think it is too hot.
7. Once bottom has browned enough, remove pan from heat.
8. Carefully place a plate over the top of the frypan and then USING OVEN MITTS so as not to burn yourself, grab the frypan and the plate like you're holding a burger and flip them so the plate is now underneath with the frypan on top, and the omelet now rests on the plate beneath.
9. Return the frypan to the stove top to reheat and add the second tbsp oil to pan.
10. Using a knife or spatula to help push, slowly slide the omelet back into the frypan from the plate.
11. Tuck in the sides of the omelet down into the frypan.
12. Leave to cook on low heat for another 3 minutes.
13. Once bottom is lightly browned, remove pan from stove and turn off burner.
14. Again, carefully place a plate over the top of the frypan and then USING OVEN MITTS so as not to burn yourself, repeat the flipping process so that the cooked omelet is once again on the plate.
15. Leave omelet to rest and finish cooking. Do not cut into omelet for at least 5 mins.

IMPORTANT to note: This dish is best served immediately, if left to cool this omelet, unlike the classic tortilla, will lose its moisture and dry out - not nice! 

Cut tortilla into quarters and serve a slice to each person with good crusty bread and some tomato relish (if desired) as an afternoon tapa with a glass of wine - with an egg dish like this,our roséis best.