La Tortilla de Patatas, the emblem of the Spanish cuisine

Found everywhere you go, Tortilla de Patatas is a basic dish prepared with less than 5 ingredients, that in my opinion is one of the emblems of the Spanish cuisine. Let me tell you more about the story of this popular dish and of course find below the recipe to prepare it at home!

What is the Tortilla de Patata?

The Tortilla de Patata is a dish prepared with really basic ingredients that everyone has at home. You just need potatoes, eggs and olive oil. The potatoes are fried in a pan with olive oil until done, then is mixed with eggs, after few minutes the mixture is poured back into a pan to finish to cook it. A classic tortilla should be round, with a soft and juicy inside and have a nice golden finish on the outside.

The origin of the Tortilla de Patatas

The origin of the Tortilla de Patatas is still a mystery, there are many theories around the popular dish. Although the most solid one points out to Joseph de Tena Godoy and Malfeyto, Robledo marquis. Both were looking for a dish that was highly nutritious and cheap, that would fight the hunger that was established around Europe at the end of 18th century. Onion and potatoes were found on almost every household, so the popularity of the tortilla just grow from there.

Nowadays the recipe may have changed a bit and they way we prepare tortilla might have changed a bit, for example a deconstructed version, a liquid tortilla served in a glass and eaten with spoon. Still the most popular tortilla is the classic, found in almost every bar, restaurant and home of Spain.

Onion, an ingredient that divide a country

Almost every spaniard can tell you the way they like tortilla, usually they like the tortilla that their mother prepared them when they were young. If you bring up this topic with a group of Spanish people, you will notice that the tortilla is a dividing dish, and just because of one controversial ingredient, the onion.

As they say there are two kind of Spanish, the ones that like the tortilla with onion and the ones that like it without it. In my case I like it with and without. I recommend you to prepare tortilla twice, with and without and decide yourself!

RECIPE FOR TORTILLA DE PATATA

Ingredients  (for 4/5 people)

6 big potatoes
1 onion
6 eggs
1/2 tablespoon of salt (or to taste)
Olive Oil or Sunflower Oil (better with Olive oil but if you want to save $$$, use Sunflower)

How to prepare it?

-Peel the potatoes and cut them in slim slices. When you finish with the potatoes, in a large, not-sticky pan, heat up the oil in a low-medium heat. The oil should cover the potatoes, add as much as you think it will be needed, add more later if is not enough.

-When the oil start to get warm, carefully add the potatoes and let them to cook slowly, the potatoes should be soft and creamy not crisp like french fries. Remember to stir the potatoes, this way they are cooked evenly.

-While the potatoes are frying, cut the onion in small dices and add it to the potatoes. Now you can increase the heat to medium-high so the potatoes finish cooking. Leave the mixture in the pan until the potatoes are cooked. You will know that the potatoes are cooking when you take a piece of potato and it breaks.

-Now, crack the eggs in a big bowl and whisk it, reserve until the potatoes are ready. When they are ready, drain the the oil from the potatoes and leave it in a bowl for few minutes, add the salt and mix it well.

-Mix the potatoes mixture and the eggs in a big bowl and leave it rest for few minutes.

-Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil on a non-stick frying pan, and heat it on medium heat. When starts to get hot, pour the egg-potato mixture and spread it evenly in the pan. Let it cook for a bit and take a look on the sides, when it gets slightly brown, it’s time to flip it and cook the other side.

-Cover the tortilla with a large plate, flip it and put it back in the pan, let it cook for minutes on the other side and the tortilla is done!

Slide the tortilla in portions and serve it with some bread and a salad of tomatoes, cucumber and onion, drizzle with some olive oil and you have a nice and healthy lunch or dinner!

Are you ready to prepare it at home?

As you can see prepare tortilla de patata is quite simple, and all the ingredients mentioned in the recipe are quite easy (and cheap!) to find at the supermarket. Don’t wait no more and prepare a delicious international dish at home! If you prepare it at home, send us a photo and we will publish it in our instagram profile!