Comments on: tortilla de patatas

By: Debo

Debo — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:22:21 +0000

Congratulations on your tortilla! As a Spaniard I can tell you it looks pretty good. Tortillas are a tricky thing and every family has its tips and tricks, but I had never heard the chicken stock one before. Some people add red pepper or zucchini, I love tortilla with canned tuna. I was recently taught by a tapas bar owner her recipe for a 5.5 lb tortilla, you can check it out on my blog.

By: Ena

Ena — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:27:41 +0000

I made the tortilla yesterday, there was a tortilla contest and my tortilla won (mostly voted by the Spaniards which makes that even better as they know what a good tortilla is), I only managed to try a tiny bite as it was wiped off the plate in a matter of minutes.

By: Molly

Molly — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:43:50 +0000

I tried this for the first time tonight, and love it! Looking forward to eating the leftovers cold for breakfast. Think I’ll take it to the office and make everyone jealous!

By: piy

piy — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:46:49 +0000

hi, i agree with manzana, no chicken stock heard before, i sometimes add a splash of milk to the egg mixture, and some eople add half a teaspoon of baking powder, for a spongy look. If you add some fried chorizo, its not potato omelette anymore, but its delicious as well. There is something that us, spaniards agree on, our mum’s is the best tortilla de patatas…loved your sie,
cheers,
pity

By: Neil

Neil — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:10:27 +0000

For such a simple recipe, this can generate the most serious arguments! Nobody believes that a tortilla can be made that rivals their Grandmothers!
I am not Spanish, but learned my recipe from an 80+ year old Spanish lady. I still can’t get it like she does. She did give some hints, however:
1) The potatoes are important; they should be fairly (but not excessively), waxy potatoes (something like Desiree or King Edwards in the UK, rather than say a floury Golden Wonder). I do not know the American equivalents. She still says, however, that it is not the same without the Galician crop (probably from her own back garden as she grew up).
2) Dependng on the potato, salting may be required to remove excess water.
3) It takes a lot of oil, since the potato/onion mixture needs to boil, as well as fry, in the oil. Most of this oil is recovered and used again. Close covering is also recommended. Do not let either potatoes or onions caramelise, so stirring is important..
4) Olive oil is all that is required. Extra virgin olive oil is too expensive to fry with. Use that for your salads and dressings, or just dip some fresh bread in it!
5) It never goes near an oven or grill – it must be turned.
6) Ratios of potatoes/onions/eggs depend on everything – the size of the potatoes, onions, eggs. Just do it until it looks right; an easier thing to see when you are being shown, admittedly!
7) Preferably keep one pan for making tortilla, and make two or three rather than try to use a different, larger, pan for parties, etc.

From what I was taught, I’d say there is too much potato compared to the onion and eggs in the above recipe (but, as I said, that depends on the size of the onion and eggs), and where (as other people have pointed out) did the stock come from? However, if you enjoy it this way, carry on! That is also the beauty of the dish, it has endless variations.

By: Renee

Renee — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:53:10 +0000

I’ve tried this recipe 3 times now, and love it. I actually studied in Madrid during college, and tortilla española was one of two things my house mom made that I liked (the other was fabada asturiana). This version is an excellent rendition, thank you!

By: Avi

Avi — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:55:31 +0000

This post finally convinced me to make tortilla, something I’ve been meaning to do since I moved back to the US from Spain…four years ago. I didn’t add the stock, it perplexed me as much as everyone else, threw in some garlic with the onions, and it turned out great! As far as salting the potatoes the only reason I can think to salt them before is to do what my Nana always did to eggplant before making eggplant parmesan, salt it and lay in on paper towels to soak up the liquid from the vegetable. The salt draws it out.

By: lj

lj — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:22:47 +0000

This does not make my list of top 100 things to do with a potato. Maybe it’s because i’m not Spanish? Remember the potato and squash torte? That was good.

By: Lily

Lily — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:27:08 +0000

I just made this and it immediately transported me back to Spain, seven years ago, as a high school freshman exploring its Southern provinces for the first time. I dreamed of tortillas de patatas with the same wistfulness with which I long for another sip of Spanish hot chocolate or authentic churros.

Thank you, for satisfying at least one of those cravings!

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:44:21 +0000

I love that you shared this! I spent a summer in Spain a few years ago, and lived with a very sweet “madre” named Encarna who taught me how to make some of my favorite dishes while I was there. Because she made hers a bit differently than your recipe, I make mine a bit differently! To this day, I never know how many potatoes or how many eggs I use – I just kept adding until it “looks right.” There’s nothing like cooking the grandma way!

Also, I agree with Elena above – leftover tortilla makes the best “bocadillos,” or sandwiches, in the world! A dense white bread and some mayo – perfecto!