From My Kitchen: Spanish Omelette

Years ago when Jeff and I lived in England, a friend of mine from college was studying in Spain. Chris came to visit us and as a thanks for our hospitality, he made us a Spanish omelette or Tortilla Española for supper one night. Potatoes, onions and eggs all in one dish. It was simple, economical and tasted great. What's not to love about that? 

Tonight Jeff dropped his bowl of jambalaya, the last of anything to eat we had in the fridge, so I whipped up an omelette, Spanish style. I tossed in a little ham to appease the carnivorous appetite, but the original recipe only includes potatoes, onions, olive oil, eggs and salt.

Cooking this baby takes a bit of a steady hand and a quick wrist, but even if it doesn't come out looking perfect, I guarantee it will taste great.

Here's the recipe:

Spanish Omelette
2 lbs. potatoes
3 TBSP chopped onion
1/4- 1/2 C. olive oil
4-5 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt

Peel and dice the potatoes and onions. Heat oil on medium high heat. Add the potatoes and onions, spreading them out evenly. The oil should almost cover the potatoes. Turn potatoes and onions frequently until completely cooked.

Remove potatoes and onions from pan with a slotted spoon or spatula. I like to put mine in a colander and let a little more oil drain off while I prepare the eggs.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the potato/onion mixture and add salt.

Pour a little olive oil into a small frying pan and heat on medium heat. Pour the potatoes, onions and eggs into the pan and spread out evenly. If you want to add a little ham, now's the time. Let the eggs cook around the edges. Once the edges appear cooked, lift up an edge with your spatula. If the mixture has browned nicely on the bottom, you are ready to turn it over to cook the other side.

Here's where the tricky part comes in. Take the frying pan to the sink. Cover with a large dinner plate. Hold the plate in place with one hand and quickly flip the frying pan over, so the omelette falls onto the plate. Slide the omelet back into the frying pan. You can add a little more oil to your pan if needed. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pan sit for a couple of minutes.

Slide the omelette out of the pan onto a plate and cut into wedges to serve. If you want to use it as an appetizer (it's as good cold as it is hot), cut in smaller wedges or cubes.

Don't let the flip scare you away from this recipe. It's not as hard as it sounds! Check out this video if you need a little visual aid to help you master the technique.

Feel free to add a glass of nice Spanish wine for an authentic experience.

Enjoy!

© Trippin' Mama 2012