Spanish Tortilla (by a guiri)

Some years back I was invited on a day hike along a canyon cut out by the river Lobos in Spain with my girlfriend's family. As we arrived at the starting point, everyone was given a heavy backpack to carry. I thought it would be water and a maybe a bit of fruit or a sandwich, but as we reached our destination a few hours later, the packs were opened and out they pulled food enough for staying there for a week. The Spanish people are obsessed about food and you will see that if you go to any park, river or beach. People bring an incredible amount of food and set up tables and start eating just about anywhere. Soups, paella, chicken, beans, salads, bread, deserts, the lot. But there is one dish that is almost always the star of the show; The Spanish tortilla. It's a simple peasant dish supposedly invented when a farmers wife didn't have enough eggs and decided to add some fried potatoes as extra filling. But depsite its apparent simplicity, it can be tough to master. As it's one of the most typical dishes found anywhere in Spain, I've had to eat my fair share of bland, under- or overcooked tortillas. But it's well worth learning. I think it's one of the few dishes that everyone likes. So far I still have to see someone turn a tortilla away.

Ingredients:
5 potatoes (aprx 750g)
1 onion
6 eggs
1/4 l sunflower oil
salt and pepper.

The ingredients.

Cut the potatoes in equal sized chunks with lots of edges. I like to cut them a bit bigger than some people. Keep reading to find out why. Try and see what your perfect size is.

Heat up a good amount of neutral oil. You'll need a lot as you're basically deepfrying them like chips. Don't worry, you'll discard most of the oil later. Add first one potato to see if it starts sizzling. If the oil is too cold the potatoes will start absorbing the fat. If it's hot enough, add the rest. You want them more or less covered.

Start chopping the onion. The potato needs more cooking time, so how do you know when to add the onion? Well,I've worked out that the time you need to chop the onion (if you are not too fast) is about the right time. Once they are added, move it all around now and then to ensure an even cooking of everything. I sometimes like putting a lid over for some time as it traps heat and steam and cooks the potatoes a bit faster.

When the potatoes are starting to get some colour and get softer it's time to mosh them lightly with the spoon. You want to break them into smaller pieces. This way the absorb a bit more fat and is less healthy but much tastier. Alternatively you can cut the potatoes smaller from the beginning, but I like this method. Keep frying until they are all soft and completely cooked.

Put them in a colander and drain off oil. Let it drip for some time... Don't forget to collect your oil and not let it run down the drain.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs well.

Add the hot potatoes to the beaten eggs.

Mix well, add salt and pepper and taste if it needs more salt. You probably think that it's still raw egg, but the hot potato will start cooking the eggs. So leave it a bit before tasting or simply just spit it out afterwards. This is an essential point as if it has too little salt the tortilla will be 'soso' (bland). Leave 30 minutes for it to mix well.

This is how much oil had dripped off. In the end the tortilla doesn't have too much fat.

Clean the pan off lightly if there are any chunks. The pan needs to be a good non-stick with out any scratches or the potato mixture will catch. Add a few drops of fresh olive oil. Put the heat at medium to low. Add the filling to the pan. Once you see the borders are starting to get done, losen then with a fork (without sratching your pan of course). You are ready to turn it.

Place a plate on top and hold on well to it with one hand while grabbing the handle of the pan with the other. Turn the whole thing over in one quick movement. Slide the tortilla back into the pan to fry it on the other side. Turning th tortilla or 'dando la vuelta a la tortilla' has actually become an expression in Spanish meaning 'to turn the tables'.

Once it's turned give a minute or two on the other side. Then turn it again. And if you dare, try this... Turning the tortilla often prevents it from burning on the outside and slowly heats up the centre.

Once it has some colour outside it's done. It might seem a little raw on the inside, but leaving the hot potato in the egg actually cooks them. If you are still worried, just cook it longer. The result will be a harder tortilla and not as soft centred. Cut it into bite sizes and eat both warm and cold.