Easy Spanish Tortilla - Potato and Onion Omelette - makes a great midweek meal. Ideal for using up leftover cooked potatoes, or you can cook the potatoes from scratch to make this simple, quick and very, very tasty dish!
A proper authentic Spanish Tortilla (potato and onion omelette) may be a simple, humble dish, but it is a thing of beauty and whenever I am at a Tapas bar I will always include a slice.
Now I am not going to claim that this Easy Spanish Tortilla is the real deal. On the contrary. But it is really easy and it does make a great tasty midweek meal. One that I make regularly.
Although this is a perfect dish for using up leftover cooked potatoes, I rarely plan enough in advance to cook the extra, but cooking from scratch only adds a few minutes to the prep time.
Why make this Easy Spanish Tortilla rather than the real deal?
The trouble with the real deal is that the potatoes are cooked in a lot of olive oil. And I mean a lot - at least 150ml/¼ pint (1 cup) for a four person Tortilla.
So if you want the real deal, you will need to cook the potatoes and onion together from raw in the olive oil, over a low heat so that the vegetables effectively simmer, rather than fry, in the oil.
While you do not use all the oil, as it is drained off before continuing, the potatoes do soak quite a lot of it it up. This gives the authentic Spanish Omelette its wonderful flavour.
While that may be fine as a treat when eating out, it hardly makes for a healthy everyday dish.
So for an everyday dinner opt for this Easy Spanish Tortilla instead as it still tastes very good.
Ingredients
There are just three main ingredients to make a Spanish Tortilla
- Onion
- Potatoes – pre-cooked until just tender
- Eggs – I use free range medium or large eggs
In addition you will need a little oil, ideally extra virgin olive oil; a splash of milk and salt, pepper and nutmeg to season.
Scroll down for quantities and full printable recipe at the bottom of this post.
What is the best variety of potatoes to use for this recipe?
Generally speaking I use whichever potatoes I have to hand and have used both waxy, new/salad potatoes as well as floury main crop potatoes and find they both work.
I generally prefer to use floury potatoes such as Maris Piper if I have them (But they tend to break up more easily so you need to take care not to overcook them). However I think waxy salad potatoes probably give a more traditional texture to the tortilla.
Cooking the Potatoes
As I have said this recipe is ideal for using up leftover potato. However, if you are making it from scratch you can either cook the potatoes whole, allow to cool slightly before slicing.
Alternatively, slice the potatoes before cooking. This way they only take a few minutes to cook so keep prep time down to a minimum.
Either way cook in lightly salted boiling water until just tender,
Step by step how to make an Easy Spanish Tortilla
Step 1
Fry onions until softened then add the cooked potatoes.
Step 2
Beat together the eggs, milk and seasoning until well combined.
Step 3
Pour the egg mixture into the pan over the potatoes and onion.
Step 4
Draw the edges of the mixture into the centre of the pan, allowing the edges to fill again.
Step 5
When there is little runny mixture left allow the tortilla to cook until the egg is set.
Step 6
Brown the top by flipping over and returning to the pan or under a hot grill.
How to brown the top of the Tortilla (Omelette)
There are two methods to brown the top of the omelette. The traditional method is to loosen the tortilla from the pan and slide it out of the pan onto a large plate. Then place the pan upside down over the plate and quickly flip over so that the top of the tortilla is now in the base of the pan. Then return to the hob for a few minutes to complete the cooking.
The second and I think easier option is to brown the top under a hot grill. However you have to take care with the handle of the pan. If the handle is not oven proof (many are not!) then the handle can not go under the direct heat of the grill.
Cook's Tip
- Take extra care when removing the frying pan from under the grill as the handle will be very hot. Always use oven gloves.
How to serve Spanish Tortilla
Like my Baked Tomato, Spinach and Mozzarella Tortilla and my Pea and Spring Onion Frittata (another name for a deep omelette), this tortilla is also delicious eaten hot or cold. Which makes it a very versatile dish.
Serve hot for dinner and left overs cold for lunch the following day.
Cold it's ideal to eat alfresco in the summer on a picnic or as part of a packed lunch.
Serve on its own, with a salad or as part of a tapas spread.
More ideas to serve with Spanish Tortilla
Easy Spanish Tortilla
Equipment
- frying pan 20-23cm (8-9in)
- mixing bowl
- spatula
- fork
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion sliced
- 150 g cooked potatoes (5oz) sliced
- 6 large free range eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- salt and fresh ground black pepper
- pinch grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan and gently fry one slice onion for 5 to 10 minutes until softened and beginning to colour.
- Add 150g (5oz) cooked sliced potatoes and continue to cook for a few minutes until the potato is warmed through.
- Meanwhile, beat 6 eggs, 2 tablepoons milk together with salt pepper and a little nutmeg in a bowl with a fork until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Cook over a low heat and draw the mixture from the edge of the mixture as it begins to set from the edge of the pan into the middle. Tilting the pan and easing the remaining runny mixture to the edges.
- When there is little runny mixture left, cook over the heat for a few minutes until the egg mixture is just set.
- To brown the top, slide out of the pan onto a plate flip over and cook the other side for a few minutes or place the frying pan under a hot grill for a few minutes until browned.
- Cut into wedges to serve.
Frank says
C'est tres bien
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Merci, Im pleased you liked it.
monica T K says
This looks great Jacqui, I usually do the original one and you're right it uses masses amounts of Olive Oil. What do you think are the best potatoes to use?
Also looking forward to the veggie shepherds pie. I've recently stopped eating red meat and generally following a healthier diet, so this is great (maybe without the butter....)I'll let you know what the meat eating youth think!
Monica T K
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Ive used both waxy, new/salad potatoes as well as floury maincrop potatoes and find they both work, but I think I like them best with floury potatoes, Maris Piper is my prefered potato. That said floury potatoes do tend to break up more easily so you need to take care not to overcook them. As for the veggie shepherd's pie I am sure the meat-eating youth will be satisfied, its one veggie dish I always get away with without any complaints from mine.
Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook says
This is perfectly delicious, Jacqui! Thanks for sharing!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Honestly, Jacqui, you and I are so on the same wavelength sometimes - I could have written the whole first section of this post, all the same things from simple humble thing of beauty, to always order it in a tapas bar, to making potatoes especially for it...I was nodding the whole way along! Such a lovely dish and one of my all time favourites...I love it! Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare! Eb x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thank you Eb I tend to agree we certainly seem to have similar tastes!