This Shortcut Spanish Tortilla recipe is quick and easy to make in about 15 minutes thanks to one secret ingredient!
Ever since we moved to Spain, I’ve received tons of requests from you
all for one specific recipe — how to make a Spanish tortilla!
Also known as a Spanish omelette in English, or a tortilla de patatas
(or tortilla española) in Spanish, this iconic dish truly can be found
absolutely everywhere in Spain. It’s traditionally made with just eggs,
potatoes, onions, olive oil, and salt. (Although the decision whether
or not to include onions is a hotly debated issue here.) It’s usually
served cold without any toppings, and can be eaten for any of the five
meals of the day here in Spain. (Yes, five. I love this country.) And
most of all, it is just total comfort food.
Everyone here loves a good tortilla!
That said, the traditional method for making a Spanish tortilla requires
slow-simmering the potatoes and onions (if using) in lots of oil before
cooking the omelette, which requires quite a bit of time and patience.
But when we moved here, our local friends were quick to make sure that
we learned the “shortcut” for how Spaniards often make a tortilla in
just 15 minutes. Turns out, the secret ingredient was one we already
had in our pantry — potato chips!
Even better? Kettle Brand chips. Turns out that those extra-thick and
delicious potato chips cut out the step of having to fry the potatoes.
And once you soak them for five minutes in the eggs, they magically
soften and bake up in the tortilla beautifully! Barclay and I are
forever fans of the Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper kettle chips, which we
most often use to make this shortcut Spanish tortilla. But I’ve gotta
say, we recently made one with Sea Salt and Vinegar chips, and it was to
die for.
So grab a bag of your favorite chips and let’s make a quick tortilla together!
Shortcut Spanish Tortilla Ingredients:
To make this potato chip Spanish tortilla, you will need…
Potato chips: I always use Kettle Brand® chips, because I love the
thicker texture and also love that they are made with real ingredients.
I would recommend starting with either the Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
or Sea Salt and Vinegar, which make the tortilla taste more
traditional. But really, any flavor of chips would work in this recipe,
so feel free to get creative!
Eggs: A half dozen.
Olive oil: Which we will use to both sauté the onions and cook the tortilla.
Fine Sea Salt: Depending on what variety of tortillas you use, feel free to adjust the quantity of salt.
Onions: As I said, people have strong opinions in Spain about
whether or not onions belong in a Spanish tortilla. I’m a big fan and
love the extra flavor/texture, so I have included them in the recipe
below.
Also — very important! — you will need either an 8- or 9-inch non-stick
skillet (or a seasoned cast iron pan) to make a Spanish tortilla.
Unfortunately, the eggs will stick to the pan if you use a stainless
steel skillet. You will also need a large plate (a normal dinner plate
is just fine) to flip the tortilla.
How To Make A Spanish Tortilla:
So how do you make a Spanish tortilla? Here’s the shortcut potato chip method. Simply…
Combine the chips and eggs. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs
until combined. Then crumble in a half bag (4 ounces) of potato chips,
and stir the chips and eggs together until combined. Set aside, and
let them soak together while you cook the onion.
Sauté the onion. In a non-stick or cast-iron skillet, sauté some
thinly-sliced onions until they are nice and soft and start to brown
just a bit around the edges. Then transfer the onions to the mixing
bowl with the egg mixture, and stir quickly to combine (so that they hot
onions don’t immediately scramble some of the eggs).
Cook the bottom of the tortilla. Add a bit more oil to the skillet.
Then pour the egg mixture into the skillet and use a spatula to spread
it out so that the egg mixture is in an even layer. Cook over medium
heat for about 2-3 minutes, or until the bottom of the tortilla is
lightly golden. (You can gently lift up the edge of the tortilla with
the spatula to take a peek and see if it’s ready to go.) The top of the
tortilla will still be a bit wet, which is ok. But you just want to be
sure that the bottom has set.
Flip the tortilla. Then comes the most dramatic moment. Carefully
place a large plate face-down directly on top of the skillet. Then —
with one hand holding the skillet handle, and one hand firmly holding
the plate on top of it — flip them both 180°, so that the plate is on
the bottom. (I like to do this over the sink, just in case any oil or
egg spills out.) If the bottom of the tortilla is cooked, the tortilla
should fall easily onto the plate, with maybe just a bit of runny egg or
oil leaking out.
Cook the other side of the tortilla. Then return the skillet to the
heat, and slide the tortilla off from the plate back into the skillet
to cook the second side. If the edges of the tortilla are a bit loose
and splayed, no worries, just run a spatula around the edges of the
tortilla and tuck the sides back under so that the edges are nice and
rounded. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the bottom of the tortilla
is also lightly golden.
Serve warm or cold. Then slide the tortilla onto a clean plate.
And feel free to either serve it right away, or cover and refrigerate
for up to 3 days.
Possible Variations:
As you can see, the traditional Spanish tortilla is made with
super-simple ingredients. But of course, there are tons of ways that
you could customize yours! For example, feel free to:
Add a splash of sherry vinegar. This is a common addition here in Spain and tastes delicious.
Add extra veggies/greens. Any number of other diced veggies and/or
greens would be delicious in this tortilla! Just be sure to sauté them
thoroughly before adding to the egg mixture, since they will not cook
much more afterwards.
Add cheese. Shredded cheeses or crumbled cheeses are also delicious mixed into (or served on top) of a tortilla española.
Add olives or capers. These can also add a nice tang to the tortilla if you’d like.
How To Store A Spanish Tortilla:
You can either store a Spanish tortilla in the:
Refrigerator: Simply cover the tortilla with plastic wrap or store
it in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Or let the tortilla cool to room temperature. Then wrap it
tightly with plastic wrap (ideally so that no air is still touching the
tortilla). Freeze for up to 3 months. Then let it thaw to room
temperature again before serving.
What To Serve With Spanish Tortilla:
The sky’s the limit! Most often in Spain, tortillas are served plain
and cold, but they are delicious served warm as well. If you’d like,
you can also sprinkle yours with some fresh herbs, or top the individual
servings with a dab of aioli.
Feel free to serve the tortilla on its own for breakfast, maybe with a
side of bread with tomato. Or of course, it’s delicious served with any
other traditional tapas as well, such as Iberian ham, pimientos de
Padrón, patatas bravas, Manchego cheese…you name it.
Enjoy, everyone!
Yield: 6-8 servings
Shortcut Spanish Tortilla
This Shortcut Spanish Tortilla recipe is made easy with potato chips,
and comes together in under 15 minutes from start to finish.
Total Time: 15 mins
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine the chips and eggs. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together
the crumbled chips and whisked eggs together until evenly combined. Set
aside, to let the mixture soak together while you cook the onion.
Sauté the onions. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 9-inch non-stick or
cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5
minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions are completely soft
and slightly golden around the edges. Transfer the onions to the
mixing bowl with the egg mixture, and give the mixture a quick stir to
combine (so that the onions don’t immediately scramble the eggs they
touch).
Cook the bottom of the tortilla. Add the remaining oil to the
skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Pour the egg mixture into the
skillet and use a spatula to spread it out so that it is in an even
layer. Let the tortilla cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, or
until the bottom of the tortilla is lightly golden. (You can gently
lift up the edge of the tortilla with the spatula to take a peek and see
if it’s ready to go.) The top of the tortilla will still be a bit wet,
which is ok.
Flip the tortilla. Carefully place a large plate face-down directly
on top of the skillet. Then — with one hand holding the skillet
handle, and one hand firmly holding the plate on top of it — very
carefully and quickly flip them both 180°, so that the plate is on the
bottom and the skillet is upside-down on top. (I like to do this over
the sink, just in case any oil or egg spills out.) If the bottom of the
tortilla is cooked, the tortilla should fall easily onto the plate,
with maybe just a bit of runny egg or oil leaking out.
Cook the other side of the tortilla. Return the skillet to the
heat, and slide the tortilla from the plate back into the skillet to
cook the second side. Run a spatula around the edges of the tortilla to
tuck the sides back under so that the edges are nice and rounded. Cook
for another 2 minutes, until the bottom of the tortilla is also lightly
golden. Then slide the tortilla onto a clean plate.
Serve warm. Or let the tortilla cool to room temperature. Seal
tightly with plastic wrap and either refrigerate for up to 3 days, or
freeze for up to 3 months.
Difficulty: EasyCategory: Vegetarian
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