It had been on my mind for years to make a Spanish tortilla, which is nothing like the tortillas familiar to most Americans. It’s basically a frittata that features potatoes.
The spuds earned it a place on this year’s Thanksgiving menu. The nephew who requested a bacon-themed Thanksgiving five years ago, before he entered the Marines, asked for a potato theme now that he’s out and home.
His mother and I ran with it. The meal included dressing made with potato bread, sweet potato and cranberry salad, Peruvian potato soup, potato vodka-infused turkey and sweet potato cupcakes with maple marshmallow frosting. The high-carb feast was pretty amazing. The cupcakes were my husband’s favorite among the offerings.
The tortilla was one of four appetizers. (What, you think one would be enough? Bah.) To save time, I chose a recipe from melaniecooks.com that didn’t involve flipping the tortilla.
I subbed leek for onion and used less to accommodate family members. I also added 2 eggs; 6 didn’t cover the potatoes adequately in the pan. I added fresh herbs and pimentos to add color and a little oomph. The romesco sauce on the side helped with that as well and doubled as a great veggie dip. Next time I hope to make the romesco with fresh-roasted red peppers.
Spanish Tortilla
6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices
2 medium onions, chopped (I used the white and light green parts of a leek, washed and thinly sliced)
8 eggs
2 tbsp. oil
Half of one small jar of pimentos, drained
1 generous tbsp. chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Spray a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Put potato slices in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring every minute, for 4 minutes.
Add the microwaved potatoes to the onions. Add another 1 tbsp. of oil to the potatoes and mix. Cook, stirring every minute, for 5 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and golden.
Sprinkle the potatoes and onions with salt, pepper and chopped fresh herbs, stir gently and remove from heat.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add potato-onion mixture and drained pimento and stir to combine.
Pour the egg and potato mixture into the baking dish and smooth evenly.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, till set, puffed a bit and lightly browned.
Take the tortilla out of the oven, let cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto a plate, slice and serve. To serve as tapas, let cool in pan. Invert onto one hand, quickly peel off parchment paper, and place top up on a cutting board. Slice into cubes and spear with toothpicks to serve, if desired.
Easy Smoky Romesco Sauce
1 cup roasted bell peppers, jarred or fresh
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup almonds, toasted*
1 slice bread, toasted and cubed
1 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. smoked paprika
In a food processor, combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Freeze leftovers in sealed plastic container or jar. Leave a bit of room in container to allow for expansion.
*To toast raw almonds, cook them on the stove over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or in the oven at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes.
from lucismorsels.com, with two minor changes
It sounds delicious and I agree that adding a roasted red pepper would be good in it. Maybe even spinach? Thanks for the recipe!
Peppers AND spinach would be great!