A really good Spanish tortilla

I love tapas in general – and I especially affection a really good Spanish tortilla. But I must admit, my relationship with this potato-filled omelet is a love-hate one. The first time I made it was with a friend who had just spent a year studying in Spain who had become a pro at making “tortilla Espanola”. I cut the potatoes, onions, and all the other stuff I now tend to outsource to my teenage son and he did the actual cooking. We carefully flipped the thick omelet together and boom, it was served up on a lovely platter. Fast-forward a few years, and I decided to have a go at it myself. Except this time, I managed the cooking, rushed through it…..and undercooked the potatoes: big mistake. I ate one slice and despite trying to to salvage it in the oven, it ended up in the garbage. Nothing infuriates me more than throwing away food that I’ve just messed up – it’s right up there with dealing with kids who don’t want to do their homework. So that was that – tortilla was not for me.

Until my son came home one day and decided to make a tortilla. His Spanish teacher showed them how to do it in class and he felt compelled to try at home. For once, I did not take over. Instead, I took out all the ingredients and told him the kitchen was all his. There was no way I was going to get involved in tortilla-making again. And off he went….halfway through, I did peek into the kitchen and caught him about to pour the eggs on a pan of undercooked potatoes, at which point I warned him. Then left again. The result? Undercooked tortilla and he never wanted to try it again.

I sometimes give up, but I don’t want my kid to, so we carefully made another one and it was perfect. And another and another one and now, I feel confident enough to post the recipe. Why would you use mine?

Because I will tell you the truth. Most recipes you see, tell you to fry up the potatoes for 20 minutes. You just can’t put a kilo of potatoes in a pan and expect them to be cooked through in that time. It’s a lie I tell you and they were probably sipping wine while making the recipe, which made 30-35 minutes feel like 20…so trust me on this one.

This version has mushrooms and parsley in it to give it a more veggie feeling. But feel free to omit them or replace them with chopped green olives, sliced chorizo, or whatever tickles your fancy. Serve cold as an appetizer (it is a WONDERFUL make-ahead appetizer) or as a nice lunch or dinner with a side salad.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 6 medium potatoes, about 1 kg, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4 to 1/2 cm)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cups/400 grams button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 8 medium eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet and pour in 1/4 cup olive oil (use medium heat)
2. Toss in the sliced potatoes. The skillet may be full and not all the potatoes will have direct contact with the bottom of the pan so you will need to toss them regularly as follows:
   1. Toss, leave for 5 minutes. Repeat this twice.
   2. The 4th time, add one or two tbsp olive oil, toss again, COVER with a lid and leave on low heat for 5 minutes.
   3. Uncover, toss and cover. Repeat until the potatoes are cooked through but still in slices (you don’t want crumbly overcooked potatoes). Let them rest.
3. Meanwhile, take out another pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and add mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes or until cooked and the water is mostly evaporated. Set the mushrooms aside on a plate.
4. Using the same pan, add another 2 tbsp of olive oil and saute the onions on medium low/medium heat with a pinch of salt. Toss until cooked and translucent, around 7-8 minutes. Add in mushrooms and mix together for another minute until all water is evaporated.
5. Pour the potatoes in a large bowl. Carefully fold in the mushroom onion mixture as well as the parsley.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with a tsp of salt and pepper to taste.
7. Take the large pan (where the potatoes where) and pour in 1/4 cup of olive oil on medium/high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully pour in the egg and vegetable mixture. Leave it to cook for a few minutes and then reduce the heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the center and top of tortilla is slightly runny but the bottom is golden.
8. At this point, take the pan off the heat, arm yourself with two oven mits and a large plate. Place the large plate over the pan, put your thumbs on top of the plate and index and major fingers under the pan and quickly flip the tortilla onto the plate. Then add an extra tbsp olive oil on the pan, carefully slip the tortilla back onto the pan and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes.
9. Once cooked, remove from heat and let sit until lukewarm. At that point you can either slice it and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.