I should start by saying I am by no means an authority on Spanish food, including this tortilla. I have only been to Spain twice. Both times I never ate a tortilla there (it was a very long time ago and I didn’t know then there was such a thing!) so I have no first hand knowledge of a Spanish tortilla in Spain. My only experience with the dish is from making it here in the US and research I have done for this post. My apologies if I offend anyone with any glaring mistakes.

What’s in a name?

In Mexico and in the US if you ask for a tortilla you will get a kind of flat bread made from flour (for wrapping burritos and quesadillas) or corn (for tacos and enchiladas). In Spain, however, if you ask for a tortilla you will get a kind of omelette similar to an Italian frittata but made with eggs and potatoes. Sometimes called a Tortilla Española or Tortilla de Patatas, visitors to Spain can sample it at tapas bars where it is served at room temperature and usually with a garlicky allioli.

What’s in a Spanish tortilla?

Aside from eggs, a tortilla de patatas, as the name suggests, is made with potatoes. Along with olive oil and seasoning that’s it according to purists. Many people (me included) like to add sliced onions because onions make everything taste better, right? I am told that in Spain the addition of onions can be quite controversial and tortillas de patatas are widely available with or without to satisfy both camps.

Other strictly non-traditional add-ins might include chorizo sausage, peas, ham, red pepper and pretty much anything else you would like to add. Tradition notwithstanding, in your kitchen you are the boss and you can add whatever you please. My preference is to stick to the basics – eggs, potatoes, onion and olive oil. Too many add-ins can muddy the flavors and you loose the essence of the dish in my opinion.

The Potatoes

Since the spuds are the star of the show let’s take a few minutes to discuss what kind to use and how to prepare them for the tortilla.

We talk about starchy potatoes, waxy potatoes and those all purpose potatoes in between. I can’t name the potatoes to use because I don’t know which of the 200 or so varieties are available where you live. If you are not sure I would suggest asking Dr. Google! I can say, here in the US I have used russets (starchy), fingerling (waxy) and Yukon gold (in between), all of which have produced excellent tortillas de patatas.

Basically any potato will work. Waxy potatoes will hold their shape during cooking giving your tortilla a firmer texture. Starchy potatoes produce a softer, creamier tortilla but require more delicate handling to prevent them from falling apart as they cook.

Strictly speaking it is not really necessary to peel potatoes but as a general rule I do. Especially thick skinned spuds where blemishes and bruises can be hidden by the rough, dark skins. The skins can also hide the green tinge some older potatoes get which is an indication of a toxin called solanine.

I may or may not peel thin skinned potatoes, depending on how I am going to use them. If the potatoes are small I definitely won’t peel them because peeling small potatoes is a pain in the you-know-what and for this tortilla I generally don’t bother.

I am told that for a truly authentic tortilla de patatas the potatoes should be gouged into irregularly shaped but equal sized pieces using the tip of a small knife. That strikes me as being unnecessarily laborious and not to mention downright dangerous. It is more practical (and safer!) to cut the potatoes into 1/8″ (3mm) slices. You can do this with a sharp knife or a mandoline.

How to prepare the Tortilla de Patatas

Don’t worry about ingredient lists and instructions at this point. What follows is a narrative describing the process for preparing a tortilla de patatas. You will find the specifics in the recipe proper.

As with any dish with so few ingredients it can be tricky to execute well but it won’t take long to get the hang of this one. You can ad lib to an extent but try to keep the potato to egg ratio as close to the recipe as possible. Too much potato and too little egg to hold everything together will make your tortilla difficult to handle.

Many recipes will have you cook the potatoes in copious amounts of olive oil – as much as 4 cups (1 L). Once the potatoes are cooked the oil is drained off before adding the eggs. (The oil is saved for the next tortilla or anything else you might need it for). I have never done this but it seems like a messy job and potentially a bit wasteful. Other recipes (like this one) use a relatively modest amount of oil and no messy draining required.

So, starting with your mise en place you will have your potatoes and onions cut into 1/8″ (3mm) slices.

(A quick word here on slicing onions: after cutting off the stem and root ends you cut the onion in half and remove the skin. I see many people slice the onion half crosswise into half moons. Onion slices cut this way will break down as they soften, causing them to disintegrate. Instead, it’s better to cut the slices lengthwise to maintain their structure.)

OK so now you will toss the potato and onion in a bowl with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt.

Next you’re going to heat a little more olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat until it begins to shimmer. Then you’ll add the potato and onion along with all of the oil in the bowl, spreading it out in an even layer. Now you will cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium low. You will want to gently stir and toss the mixture every 5 minutes or so to make sure the veg on the bottom does not become overly brown (a little color is fine.) Continue cooking and stirring until the potatoes are cooked and tender. This should take around 15-20 minutes depending on how high you have the heat. Don’t judge by the clock, though. Instead, poke the potatoes with the tip of a small knife to test for doneness.

Meanwhile, in the empty bowl the potatoes and onion were tossed in, you are going to whisk the eggs with salt and pepper.

Once the potatoes and onion are cooked you will want to turn off the fire and let them cool for 10 minutes or so. You are going to add them to the eggs and you don’t want the hot veg to scramble them.

When the potato mixture has cooled ever so slightly you are going to pour it into the bowl with the eggs and toss the whole lot together. With the skillet back on medium heat you will pour in the contents of the bowl and spread it out to evenly distribute the potatoes and onion. You’re going to want to gently agitate the mixture with a rubber spatula to let the uncooked eggs have their turn at the bottom of the pan.

Once the eggs look like they are halfway scrambled you are going to cover the pan and turn the heat to medium low and you are going to let the eggs cook until you see the edges begin to puff up slightly. How long that takes will depend on how high you have the fire but it should be about 10-15 minutes. If you have the fire set low, it will take longer and the bottom will be light golden brown. A higher fire will cook faster and the bottom will be a deep golden brown. There is no wrong answer here – whatever you prefer.

If at this stage, if there is a lot of uncooked egg in the middle of the pan, use your rubber spatula to lift the edge of the tortilla and tilt the pan to let the runny bits pour underneath to finish cooking.

Now, here comes the tricky bit – you need to flip the tortilla over to finish cooking the top. First though, you need to make sure the tortilla will release from the pan. There’s nothing more frustrating than struggling to get a mass of egg and potato out of a pan when it is stuck! So, you’ll run your spatula around the edge of the pan and under the tortilla, progressively farther into the center until it releases and slides around as you gently shake the pan. Now you are ready to flip.

The easiest way I have found to do this is to slide the tortilla onto a large plate, cover it with a second large plate and having the courage of your convictions, quickly and confidently flip it over. This is a case of, he who hesitates may have a mess to clean up. (Yup. Been there, done that!) Go on. You’ve got this.

Having successfully flipped the tortilla you will slide it back into the skillet (having first added another splash of oil) and use your spatula to tuck in the edges to make it look pretty. Finishing cooking shouldn’t take long, again depending on how high the fire is set – maybe 5 minutes or so. You can leave it longer to get the bottom to be the same color as the top but I generally don’t bother: the top is the presentation side and that looks good already.

Still nervous about the flip? OK. A good work around is to have your oven preheated to 425°F (220°C). Once the egg is mostly cooked, throw the pan in the oven and cook the tortilla, uncovered, until it begins to puff up slightly, indicating it is fully cooked through. This should take about 5 minutes or so but keep an eye on it because it could be a little more or less. In my opinion this is not as visually appealing but it will still taste delicious. If you plan to use the oven method, be sure your skillet is oven safe. Most are these days but if yours has a plastic handle best not put in such a hot oven.

When the tortilla is finished cooking you will slide it out onto a cutting board and let it cool. These tortillas are best served warm or at room temperature which gives the eggs time to set up so the tortilla holds its shape when you cut into it. So let it cool a bit before you slice it into wedges and serve it with your allioli and a salad.

Make Ahead

You can make the tortilla a day ahead and once completely cool, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before serving, or nuke it for a few seconds to quickly take the chill off. The allioli can also be made ahead and refrigerated.

And what about this allioli?

At its simplest, allioli (aioli in France) is basically garlic mayonnaise. You wanna whisk egg yolks with olive oil, garlic and vinegar to make your own allioli? More power to you. Otherwise mince some garlic and stir it into some good quality store bought mayo along with a dab of Dijon mustard (try some wholegrain for a bit of texture). If you have some in the fridge, a tiny bit of harissa paste or another hot chili paste gives the allioli a pleasant pink hue and adds a gentle background heat that works well with the tortilla.

Author: kaysdad

I am a self confessed foodie and food science geek (some might even say a food snob. I wouldn't disagree). I have been interested in food all my life but, circumstances being what they were, I began to practice my craft somewhat later in life. I love to pass on the knowledge I have gained over the years to anybody willing to learn. At the same time I am always open to learning new things, and not just about food...