Tortilla Española
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1¼pounds onions, diced
- 1large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 4cloves garlic, minced
- 2½pounds russet potatoes
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 4cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 10large eggs
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
953 calories; 91 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 65 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 754 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the onions, pepper and garlic in a large bowl. Peel the potatoes, quarter them lengthwise, and slice those crosswise into 1/8th inch tiles. (A mandoline is great for this.) Add them to the onion mixture and season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
- Step 2
Heat the oil over high heat in a 12-inch, deep-sided skillet (preferably nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron). Drop 1 potato tile into the oil as it heats; when it floats and then begins to fry vigorously, carefully add all the potato-onion mixture and stir gently.
- Step 3
Cook the potatoes at a vigorous simmer, stirring occasionally so they don’t brown too much on the bottom, until they are very soft but not quite losing their shape, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes through a colander and let them cool until warm.
- Step 4
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Taste the potatoes for salt and season the eggs with salt accordingly. Stir the potatoes into the eggs.
- Step 5
Place the skillet over medium high heat. When it is very hot, pour in the potato mixture, spread evenly and turn heat to medium. Using a spatula, gently pull the edges of the tortilla towards the center to release them from the pan and let any liquid egg run out the sides.
- Step 6
After 4 minutes, cover the pan with the bottom of an oiled baking sheet. Using towels or oven mitts, carefully flip the pan onto the sheet, place the pan back over the heat, then slide the inverted tortilla back into the pan. Cook, without stirring, for 3 minutes. Both sides of the tortilla should be golden brown.
- Step 7
Insert a long skewer into the side of the tortilla to see how wet it is inside. Some prefer the inside a little moist, some fully cooked. You can continue to cook it, flipping the tortilla as described once a minute, until it’s done to your liking. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
I learned to make tortilla espanola from a woman in NW Spain and use about 4-6 Tablespoon oil for this size recipe..cooking the potatoes and onions (no bell pepper) slowly over medium to medium low heat until soft and not browned. Then continuing with the eggs. There is no need to drain oil.
First rule for making a great tortilla: Do not skimp on the oil! You essentially boil the potatoes and onion in oil, and if you go with less, you'll change the texture of the final product. I save the oil in the fridge for my next tortilla. And everyone's right: a green pepper does not belong in a (classic) tortilla. I will say that a nice variation can be had by adding thinly sliced zucchini to the potatoes.
I love the recipes on this site, but this one is really really bad. You don't put peppers or garlic in a Tortilla Española.
I tried this before in a large pan and as a beginner this was a huge sloppy mistake. A friend’s Spanish mom Showed me how to do it but she is obviously the expert and I’m not practiced enough for a 12” skillet. I bought an 8” nonstick pan and used 5 eggs and 4 large potatoes (Yukon gold). Salted the potatoes and used enough Olive oil to cover the potatoes. I drained them once the potatoes were soft but not falling apart . Let them cool to warm. I coated the bottom of the pan with oil and I put the potatoes back in the pan first to preserve the stacking. I poured over the beaten eggs that were salted like I normally do at home. I cooked it low and slow like an omelette til it firmed up the edges. When you fold down the edges to let the wet egg run to the edges, don’t just pull them away from the pan, pull out and fold them down to try to preserve the rounded edges. When I do it again I’ll use another egg to give it more heft / protein. I cooked on low heat for the potatoes and when I added the eggs. Margaret made a comment earlier to use the lid to flip it and it worked out great. I read through the comments: used the lid on very low heat to finish cooking all the way through. I couldn’t put a non stick pan into the oven but that was also another commenters idea. I do make a lot of frittatas and it makes a lot of sense to stick it in the oven to finish it. I didn’t use this recipe at all it seems. It came out great the way I did it.
There are two types of Spain tortilla, one with potatoes, eggs oil and salt and the other with potatoes, onions, oil and salt. The addition of garlic and green peppers is not standard. You can check in Manual Cocina Tradicional Española Author Ana Maria Herrera.
Agree that no green peppers go in here, but I do add other ingredients.. feta cheese and cherry tomatoes and serve in a bright blue enamel pan. it's delicious and gorgeous.