Potato Tortilla

When you're really in a hurry or lazy (or feeling broke), bust out the eggs! This is tasty with a green salad and some sliced tomatoes. A bit more trouble than an omelette, but it seems more like you "made dinner" if you know what I mean, rather than just flaking out and feeding people omelettes (is that really flaking out? OK, at my house it is). Mom, stop laughing at me.

Catalan Potato and Onion Tortilla

1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
3 potatoes, peeled, cut in half, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
1/4 cup diced back bacon, meat only (or good ham)
salt and pepper and cayenne
5 eggs

1. Heat 6 T of the oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron, preferably). Cook potatoes, onion, and meat over low heat, covered, stirring frequently, till potatoes are soft (12-15 minutes). Transfer the mixture to a colander set on a bowl and let oil drain off for 10 minutes or so. Reserve oil.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, season with salt, pepper and cayenne, and add drained potato mixture. Heat oil in big skillet (non-stick is best, if you have one) and cook tortilla for 5 to 7 minutes over medium low heat. Eggs should begin to set.

3. Invert tortilla onto flat plate, add remaining 2 T oil to pan and cook the other side of the eggs for 5 minutes more, till completely set. If you don't have a big non-stick skillet, keep going in the cast-iron one (wiping it very clean before putting the eggs in) and finish under a broiler for 5 minutes rather than attempting to flip the tortilla.

Serve warm or at room temperature (I understand that in Spain they have room temperature wedges of this sort of thing on bars as a snack, but I've never actually been myself.) Serves four or so. One or two extra eggs and lots of salad, you could easily eke it out for 6.

Comments

[Jeremy Osner]

This sounds good and non-complicated. I made something very like this for dinner most days when we were in Spain. Maybe I will cook it when company comes over for lunch on Sunday, I think it would go really well with yankee bean soup.

[Brad DeLong]

This tastes like a potato, bacon, and onion omelette, I presume?

[ben wolfson]

Or a potato, bacon, and onion fritatta, even?

[Scott Lemieux]

Bacon--is there anything it can't make tasty?

[Jeremy Osner]

Oh yeah -- bacon does bad things to e.g. lemon meringue pie. Looks like I will be using kosher sausage in place of bacon on Sunday.

[Mandos]

Yay! kosher sausage!

[belle]

oh, sure, it *tastes* like a potato, onion and bacon frittata or omelette, but it looks waaay different. actually, the reason this is tasty is that the potatoes are drained of oil and so it doesn't seem very greasy inside. also, olive oil and eggs go very nicely together, something I didn't realize until I was like 20; my friend Sacha always fries her eggs in olive oil. mmmm. also nice over spaghetti (the fried egg, I mean.)

[SamChevre]

This is very similar to one of my favorite quick meals. I always serve it with English peas.

My version varies slightly--I think it's a few minutes faster. I boil the potatoes while frying the onions in the oil; I also add a bit of thyme, a clove of garlic, and often some banana peppers to the onion mixture. Then I slice the boiled potatoes into the onion mixture, cook for only a few minutes, pour in the beaten eggs, and bake a few minutes.

[Sharon]

God, I love tortilla. (Frittata, too, for that matter.) It's good without the bacon, too, for vegetarians. (I often do it with red peppers or mushrooms, sliced and sauted with the onions.) I like the potatoes a bit chunkier than Belle's recipe though, so it does take a bit longer to cook.

My experience is that using boiled potatoes tends to make a tortilla a bit soggy. It is quicker and healthier, no doubt. But the potatoes definitely have a better texture and taste if they're cooked in olive oil.

[eurocent]

From a Catalan here:

could anyone explain when exactly did the BACON enter this recipe? Sounds delicious, but never saw such a thing in Catalonia.

I know some guys of alpine descent who used to enjoy this dish, maybe they crossed it with Tartifflette, who knows...

Anyway, i'm gonna try it tonight!