I recently spent a few months living in Spain before moving to Rome. My boyfriend, Luca, and I made a habit of making a Spanish Tortilla at home for breakfast a few times a week. Traditionally it’s served cold at tapas bar alone or on a slice of baguette, but I can’t get behind cold eggs. I’ve always preferred having my homemade version fresh out of the pan!
The most challenging aspect of making a tortilla is the flip! I have ruined a fair share in my trials and errors, but thankfully also learned a few tricks. First, attempting a flipping when it’s still loose and undercooked is a recipe for disaster. Make sure your eggs are around 80% cooked through and hold together well. Steaming on a low temperature with the lid on should help achieve this cook without burning the underside. As for the actual flip, I’ve found that using a cutting board is the best because it is a flat surface with a circumference larger than my pan. Using a plate can get tricky if it’s not bigger than the pan, not to mention it gets hot. The last important reminder is that hesitation breeds error! Just go for it and you’ll be much better off than trying to go slowly and doubting yourself. The good news is even if you mess up the flip, you’ll have some delicious scrambled eggs!
The Potatoes
We start this recipe by preparing our potatoes! Set a pot of boiling ( SALTED! just like with pasta) water on the stove to come to a boil. In the meantime peel and chop your potatoes. Some people like to slice their potatoes instead, but I found that I much prefer the texture when they are chopped into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes. Once your water is boiling, throw your potatoes in for only 4-5 minutes, or until just slightly under-cooked.
Building your Spanish Tortilla
While the potatoes are boiling, dice up your small white onion. Saute over low heat with 1/2 tsp of salt in the pan where you will cook your tortilla. I like going for a non-stick with slightly higher walls to make sure it’ll hold my tortilla well and give it a nice shape. Keep an eye on these but they should take around 10 minutes to get nice and golden brown.
Your potatoes should be done cooking now, drain those and put them to the side while we wait for our onions to cook through.
Next, we’ll crack our 5 eggs into a bowl and whisk them together with our milk/cream, and salt and pepper. Don’t over-mix here, around 30 seconds of vigorous mixing should do the trick.
Once your onions have softened add in your drained, boiled potatoes. Bring your heat up to medium. You can add some more olive to help saute if you would like to. The trick with getting the nice golden color is leaving the potatoes alone. As Cassie, one of my favorite TikTok chefs says, ” Love her, leave her alone”. I like to mix every 2-3 minutes to make sure nothing is burning. Taste your potatoes to adjust for any additional salt, and add in pepper. Once the potatoes are fully cooked through and lightly golden brown, spread them in an even layer in the pan.
Egg Time
Your egg mixture should just cover the potatoes. If you’re using a bigger pan and the potatoes aren’t covered, add in an extra egg until covered. Once your eggs are in, bring your heat down to low. Cover with a lid and set a timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes check the tortilla for firmness and try to separate the bottom of the pan. If this happens easily, it means it’s time to flip. If it’s still runny in the center pop the lid back on and give it a few more minutes but watch closely to avoid burning the bottom.
And Flip…
Once your Tortilla is set, it’s time to flip. I like to set a cutting board on top of my pan and hold it down firmly with one hand. Then I lift the pan with the other hand and in one swift motion flip 180 degrees. The pan should now be on top of the cutting board. Set the cutting board down on your counter and gently lift the pan up, which should reveal your beautiful tortilla! Place the pan back on the stove and gently push your tortilla off the board and back into the pan. Cover with the lid again and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Serve!
Slice your tortilla out of the pan back onto your cutting board and slice it into 8 triangles, like a pizza. You can serve this with some toasted bread, or with a dip like aioli or ketchup. Enjoy your Spanish Tortilla! If you want to enjoy it the more traditional way, of course, you can store it in the fridge and wait for it to get cold before eating. But if you prefer the non-traditional way, I won’t tell if you don’t!
I hope you enjoyed making a Spanish Tortilla! Let me know how your flip turned out in the comments below.
Spanish Tortilla with Potatoes and Onions
Ingredients
- 5 Eggs
- 550 grams Potatoes
- 1 Small Onion
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Milk ( I used oat milk, but you can use regular or even heavy cream if you want it richer)
Instructions
- Set a small pot of water to boil. Be sure to salt your water
- Clean and peel your potatoes. Chop them into 1/2 inch ( 1 cm) cubes.
- Put your potato cubes into boiling water for 4-5 minutes. You want to remove them from the water when they are slightly undercooked.
- While your potatoes are boiling, dice a small onion and begin sauteing it in a pan over medium-low heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add 1/2 tsp of salt to your onions.
- Strain your potatoes and leave them on the side. Keep an eye on your onions so they don't burn.
- Once your onions have softened and are golden brown, add the potatoes. You can bring the heat up to medium. Feel free to add in some more olive oil to prevent sticking if needed. The potatoes should sautee for around 8 minutes or until fully cooked through and lightly crisped.
- Whisk ( or beat with a fork) your eggs together with your milk, salt, and pepper until combined ( this takes about 30 seconds).
- Once your potato and onion mixture of cooked through, add a tsp of olive oil and flatten the mixture to have an even flat surface. This will help you get an evenly cooked tortilla!
- Pour in your egg mixture making sure to cover all the potatoes evenly. Cover with a lid and drop the temperature to low. Cook for 7 minutes.
- Check that the egg has firmed up and is no longer liquid. You should be able to shake the tortilla free from the pan. Now brace yourself for the flip! The best way to do this is on a plate or cutting board. I place the cutting board on top of my pan, holding it firm with the palm of my hand. In one swift motion turn the two 180 degrees to flip the tortilla out of the pan and onto the board. Once on the board, you can slide it back onto the pan to cook the other side.
- Cover and cook on low for 2 minutes. Then cut the heat and leave the pan covered for 5 minutes.
- Slide your tortilla out of the pan and slice into triangles to serve. Enjoy!