Tortilla de Patatas
July 25, 2019 | By Jeremy Scheck | 3 Comments
Tortilla de patatas, sometimes known as tortilla española or tortilla de papas in Latin America, is a classic Spanish staple. Surprisingly, the word tortilla just means omelet in Spain, which explains the name of this frittata-like dish. Even though the recipe requires a few steps, I find them worth it because a good tortilla de patatas is apt for any meal of the day and it’s delicious hot, room-temperature, or even cold.
When I was an au pair in Spain, I ate tortilla de patatas almost everyday for breakfast. There was a café in the town that sold a piece of tortilla with bread and a café con leche for just €2.50. Whenever I went on trips with my host family, we’d pack a tortilla with some pieces of jamón serrano and bread for an on-the-go dinner. It’s a very nostalgic food for me.
Notes:
- I usually don’t like non-stick pans, BUT I find that:(a) most people own them anyway, AND(b) recipes like this are almost impossible to make without one…
- A lot of olive oil is needed to poach/gently fry the potatoes, but you can strain and reuse it for other recipes.
- Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian. No vegan option due to the importance of the egg
Tortilla de Patatas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed with a wet paper towel and peeled
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cups extra virgin olive oil (use a cheaper variety)
- 10 large eggs
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then again in quarters, also the long way. Slice into 1/4" pieces, perpendicular to the long way. As you prepare the rest of the ingredients, place the sliced potatoes in cold water to avoid discoloration. Peel and slice the onion; set aside.
- Strain the water off the potatoes and lay them out on paper towels to dab dry.
- Heat the oil in a 10" nonstick pan to medium/medium-low heat; add the potatoes. Cook, covered with a half-sheet pan, at a low simmer 10-15 minutes until mostly tender. Meanwhile, beat the eggs well until no streaks of white remain. Season eggs with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Set the egg mixture aside. Add the onions to the potato mixture in two batches, letting them slightly soften before adding the rest. Gently fry 5 more minutes.
- Strain off the oil and save for another recipe. Spread the cooked potatoes and onions out on the half-sheet pan. Season generously with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, let cool 5 minutes.
- Add the seasoned potatoes and onions back to the non-stick pan, with only a teaspoon of cooking oil. Pour over the beaten eggs and gently shake the pan to make sure they are well-dispersed. Gently press down with a silicone spatula to even the surface.
- Cook between medium and low heat until most of the tortilla is cooked through on the first side, with just a little uncooked egg on the top; approximately 15-20 minutes. It's ready when you shake the pan and the whole tortilla can move as one unit, rather than the uncooked parts moving so much on their own.
- To flip the tortilla, put a large, heatproof plate on top of the skillet. Carefully invert (using a oven mitts), such that the brown side faces up on the plate and the wet side faces down. It's okay if the sides of the tortilla flare out on the plate. Use a silicone spatula to slide the inverted tortilla back into the pan and press down around sides to ensure a uniform shape. Cook around 5 more minutes on the other side, before inverting onto a plate and serving warm, at room temperature, or refrigerated. Keep, well-wrapped, in the fridge up to a week.
Jeremy Scheck spent high school perfecting his signature cupcakes, making quiches and coffee cake by the dozen at a local bakery, and teaching cooking demonstrations at Williams-Sonoma. As a 10th grader in 2016, he began documenting his favorite recipes on a blog called The After School Bakery. In college, Jeremy learned to make 50 gallons of ice cream in the food science lab, how to prune grape vines in the teaching vineyard, the best way to milk a cow in Northern Italy, and why film photography is an art worth saving. As a sophomore in 2020, he traded blog photos for video and became a TikTok culinary sensation. Jeremy has been featured on the Today show, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, BBC Radio, People, and Access Hollywood, among others. Jeremy is a graduate of Cornell University with a double major in Spanish and Italian, and significant coursework in food science. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. Learn more about Jeremy.
I am Spanish and I must say you pretty much described this recipe perfectly. My mom makes THE best tortilla se patatas and she always tells me a trick that will honestly improve the dish a lot (just a piece of advice, no need to follow if you don’t want to). Instead of cutting your pitarles into big pieces, try to cut them as thin as you can. It makes sure that when they cook it has a nicer texture and it just makes the omelette more gooey and soft (which is how we like it). Try it and see how you like it!
Love this idea, thank you!
My son’s best friend lives in Madrid. And he taught me to make this just like this, but like mentioned above, thinner potatoes. And insists on Olive oil. So good. My son, like you, eats this while in Spain. They deliver it to the home just like they deliver pizza here.
I have made many friends making your other recipe for what we call “TikTok potatoes”. We have people over to dinner a lot and everyone always asks if I am making them.
Your recipes and ideas about food prove there is always room for a fresh new voice.
Thank you for sharing all recipes with us.