Typical Spanish meal, part II

Hi friends. Today I bring to you the second course of a very typical Spanish meal. If you missed the first one, it's here. 

So the second course, as I already advanced, is tortilla de patata (Spanish potato omelet). If you are a Spanish reader, you might not like this post so much, because you probably already know how to make tortilla and you might even think that your recipe is better, or that I am doing something wrong. Please let me know. I will be really happy to read your comments or recipes. However, if you are not a Spanish reader, this is a very valuable piece of information I am giving you, a very good recipe for tortilla de patata.

This dish is so versatile! You can have it for lunch or dinner, with a lettuce and tomato salad. You can have it for breakfast (it's eggs, right?). You can put it inside a good piece of bread and call it a tortilla sandwich (this is my mom's favorite way). Guys, this is the queen of Spanish cuisine. You will find it at university cafeterias, side-of-the-road bars, family-dinner tables and three-star restaurants. It's easy, it's cheap, it's made of ingredients that everyone has at home, and it's delicious.

Now you go to the recipe and read the ingredients, and then you say: Cheap? Two cups of olive oil is cheap? Well, it's true that unless you live in Spain or other Mediterranean country, olive oil is kind of a liquid gold. Trust me, I know, I live in America. I remember one summer I went to Pennsylvania to learn English, about ten years ago and stayed with a host family for a month. One night I wanted to cook for them and tortilla was the only thing I knew how to make. I still remember the face of my host mother when she saw me pouring their entire bottle of olive oil into a pan to fry the potatoes.

But hey, here is the thing, olive oil is reusable! Just let it cool down, filter it using a colander and store it in a glass or metal jar for next time. And if you still refuse to use olive oil, just use vegetable oil and well, it will still be good, but not as good and not as Spanish.

Tortilla de patata (potato omelet)

3 big potatoes or 4 small potatoes

1/2 big onion or 1/2 small onion

2 cups olive oil

5 eggs

Peel the potatoes, cut them in half, slice them as thin as you can and put them in a big bowl. Cut the onion in half and slice it thin. Add the onion to the bowl. Season with salt and toss to coat.

Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet for about 3 minutes on high heat. Lower the heat to medium and add the potatoes and onions. Cook, stirring often until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

Arrange a fine colander over a big bowl. Using a slotted spoon transfer the potatoes and onions to the colander. Let them drain for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile beat the eggs in another bowl. In a nonstick frying pan heat 3 tablespoons of the oil from frying the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the eggs, stir the mixture a little bit and rapidly pour it into the preheated pan. Use a wooden spoon to even out the potatoes on the surface. Lower the heat to medium and let it cook for about 5 minutes, until the edges of the tortilla seem cooked.

Now comes the hard part. Cover the pan with a plate that is a little bigger than the pan. Hold the plate with the palm of your hand while holding the pan handle with the other hand. Lift the pan in the air and flip it over, holding the plate so the omelet rests on it. Carefully slide the omelet into the pan again, uncooked side down. Shake the skillet to straighten the tortilla and push the edges in with a spatula. Put it back on the stove and let it cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or less if you like the eggs a little undercooked (like I do). Slide it onto a serving plate.