Recipe

Tortilla Española (Spanish potato omelette)

6 servings (1 × 24 cm tortilla) · prep 15 min · cook 40 min

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• lunch
• dinner
• iberian
• vegetarian

Authored by the maintainer; classical Spanish method — onion-included version (the Betanzos / Madrid school).

Ingredients

the base

• 600 g waxy potatoes, peeled, sliced 3 mm thick
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

the confit

• 500 ml extra-virgin olive oil — Liguria olive mill

the binder

• 8 large eggs
• 1.5 tsp sea salt — Trapani salt pans

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy 24 cm non-stick or well-seasoned pan over medium-low heat. Should reach about 130°C / 265°F — well below frying temperature. · 8 min
2. Add the potatoes and onion. Cook gently for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender (a fork goes through with no resistance) and the onion is translucent. No browning — this is a confit, not a fry. · 25 min
3. Drain the potatoes and onion in a sieve over a bowl, catching the oil. Reserve the oil — it's beautifully infused and reusable.
4. Beat the eggs with the salt in a large bowl. Fold the warm potatoes and onion gently into the eggs — try not to break the slices. Rest 5 minutes. · 5 min
5. Return the cleaned pan to medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of the reserved oil. When hot, pour in the potato-egg mixture. Shake the pan immediately to distribute evenly.
6. Drop the heat to medium-low. Cook 5 minutes, swirling and pulling the edges in with a spatula. The bottom should set golden; the top should still be visibly liquid in the centre. · 5 min
7. The flip. Place a flat plate larger than the pan over the top. With one quick motion, invert the pan onto the plate. Lift the pan off — the cooked side is now up.
8. Slide the tortilla back into the pan, cooked side up. Tuck the edges in with the spatula. Cook another 3–4 minutes for a *cuajada* (set) finish, or 60 seconds for *jugosa* (juicy, with a soft-runny centre). · 3 min
9. Slide onto a plate. Rest 5 minutes before cutting — the residual heat continues to set the centre.

Notes

*Jugosa* (juicy) vs *cuajada* (set) is a genuine Spanish argument. The
northern coast prefers a barely-set centre that's almost custardy;
Madrid and the south go firmer. Both are tortilla; you pick once and
the rest of the country judges you.

Cuts cold or warm. The Spanish bar-counter staple is a wedge of cold
tortilla on a slice of crusty bread (*pincho de tortilla*). At
midday hot from the pan is also correct.

The reserved oil from the confit is liquid gold — strain it through a
cloth and keep refrigerated. Excellent for vinaigrettes or another
tortilla.