This was the very first Spanish dish that I learned to cook! The ingredients are simple, but the technique is a little intimidating at first! Just go for it, you'll be so impressed with yourself when it turns out! I was trying to recreate a food that was very nostalgic for Pete, so I was nervous as heck, but he raved about how it took him right back to his time living in Spain. I made it the very next week for an International day at our then 6-year-old's (now 17!) Montessori school.
When cooking with just a few ingredients, try and source the very best. Splurge on the best quality olive oil, make sure you are using pasture-raised eggs, and shop your local farmer's market for the freshest potatoes!
Ingredients:
2lbs Yukon gold (or similar) potatoes
8 pasture-raised eggs
1 Spanish onion
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Directions:
Peel and rinse potatoes, then slice in half along the long side of the potato, place the potato halves flat-side down and slice into very thin 1/8" moons (if you have a mandolin slicer you can leave the potatoes whole and use the mandolin to slice into thin rounds)
Place potato slices into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt, toss to combine
Head 1/2" of good quality olive oil in a large cast iron skillet
Add potatoes and make sure they are submerged in oil, add more if necessary
Cook potatoes on low heat for 20 minutes
Meanwhile, slice the onion thinly and cook over medium-low heat in a separate pan until softened and starting to caramelize - do NOT salt the onions, this will cause them to release their juices and you will be sweating/stewing onions instead of caramelizing them!
Beat eggs in a bowl with a little salt
When onions are done, stir them into the egg mixture
Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon into a colander to drain away excess oil, handle them gently but if they break up a bit, don't fret!
After they have drained for 5 minutes and cooled a bit you can add them to the bowl with the eggs and onions and gently stir/fold to combine
Allow the mixture to sit, covered for 20 minutes
Pour off the oil that you used to fry the potatoes, you don't need to discard this, it can be stored and reused!
Place the pan back onto med-low heat and add the potato and egg mixture.
Cook on med-low for 6-10 minutes, running a spatula around the edges to make sure it's not sticking. Make sure it's low and slow and not burning the eggs!
Here comes the fun part - once the bottom is cooked and lightly browned you need to cook the other side! Place a plate over the top of your pan. Wear oven mitts for this next part...firm your resolve and quickly flip the tortilla out onto the plate. It's ok if it's a little sloppy! Breathe a sigh of relief!
Place the pan back on the heat and slide the tortilla back into the pan
Do not freak out if things are a little messy, it will all come together!
Cook another 6 minutes on the second side, then slide onto a clean plate, cool for a few minutes and serve cut into wedges like a pie. Wonderful when still slightly warm, but equally delicious as cooled leftovers!