Quick Bites: Spanish Tortilla (Tortilla Española)

Things have gotten pretty busy recently but I want to be able to continue to write new posts, provide new recipes, and, y'know, keep my little corner of the internet active. So with that, I'm going to start posting some shorter pieces mixed in with my usual medium-form writing on such thrilling topics as What Knives You Should Buy and How to Make a GUGS Burger. I'm going to call these posts Quick Bites - and each will give you a fast read and a recipe to try out. Whether by coincidence or not, the recipes themselves will probably be also quicker cooking dishes you can make on a weeknight or as a quick dinner for company.

Today's feature dish came about after I decided to try and change up the lazy weekend breakfast with something a little different. Bored with omelettes and fried eggs on toast over and over again, a tapas staple popped into my head - the Spanish Tortilla. Simple, delicious, and versatile enough to do the dance as star of breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I set out making my first one to surprisingly great results.
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So, to kick off this new series shall we?

Now, if you did not know, the Spanish tortilla is very different than Central American flatbread/taco wrapper you may be more familiar with. The Spanish tortilla is kind of like a crustless egg, potato, and onion pie - Spanish sister to the Italian frittata and cousin to the French quiche. Meant to be served just warm or at room temperature, tortilla is excellent for brunch or a light dinner as it can be made ahead and has no problem chilling out as you get the rest of your affairs in order.

So what's in a tortilla and why am I such a fan? Well one, it's simple to make. At its core, there are only 5  ingredients - eggs, potato, onion, olive oil, and salt, and all you need is one pan and about 20 minutes to cook it. Tortilla is also special as while it is simple to prepare with ingredients that you likely already have on hand, it's one of those dishes that shines because the quality of the ingredients is really highlighted. To channel my inner Ina Garten "Use your good olive oil for this dish."

When you slice into a tortilla, what you will notice are the layers of tender, cooked potato and onion just held together by perfectly cooked and not rubbery eggs. You get a mix of textures in the dish and a delicious savoury flavour that will play well with a number of side dishes like a bright salad, olives, pickles, or toasted bread.

Alright, enough chit chat - how do you make tortilla?

Recipe: Tortilla (Tortilla Española)
Serves 2 as a hearty meal, 4 as a light lunch with salad

Ingredients:

• 6 Small White New Potatoes, Sliced Thin
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, Sliced Thin
• 4 Eggs
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt to Taste

Cheater Aioli (Optional)

• 3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise (I like Dukes)
• 1/2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 Clove Garlic Grated on a microplane or very, very finely minced

Instructions:

1. Wash and thinly slice (as thin as you can) your new potatoes into disks with a very sharp knife or a mandolin if you have one (You can leave the skins on)
2. Peel and half your yellow onion and thinly slice
3. In a 10" Non-stick pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat
4. Add your sliced potato and onions and cook with a heavy pinch of salt, stirring occasionally and being careful to not break apart the potato slices. You do not want to really brown the potato and onion, just get them tender - about 10-15 minutes
5. As the potato and onion mix cooks, whisk your eggs until well combined
6. After about 10 minutes, test a slice of potato to see if it's tender - there should be barely any or no "crunch" of raw potato. If ready, remove from the heat and add the potato and onion mix into your eggs and mix thoroughly
7. Wipe your pan with a paper towel and return to the burner over medium-low heat
8. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until oil just starts "shimmering" - add in the egg mixture and make sure to distribute the potatoes so it is in a even layer in the pan
9. Cook over medium-low heat until the egg is firming up and the top layer is almost cooked but still slightly runny
10. Grab a large plate (slightly bigger than the pan if possible) and carefully slide the tortilla onto the plate
11. *Take a deep breath*
12. Now invert your pan over the tortilla so the runny-side of the tortilla faces the pan surface and quickly flip the tortilla back into the pan runny-side down**
13. Return to the heat for 2-3 minutes to finish cooking
14. Slide the cooked tortilla onto a cutting board and let it cool for at least 10-15 minutes so it is warm, but not hot (you can also serve at room temperature)
15. Slice into wedges and pat yourself on the back for completing such a daring culinary acrobatic feat. Serve with aioli if desired. Enjoy!

Aioli Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together and cover with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge at least 20 minutes or until ready to serve

**CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE: Now you can make a choice. The traditional way is to flip the tortilla to complete cooking on the stove, but if you are nervous, you can also finish the tortilla a la frittata in a 400 degree oven until the top is set. Just make sure your pan is able to handle such temperatures