Tortilla Española

Recipe from Manolo Intriago

Adapted by Francis Lam

Updated June 23, 2015

  • Grant Cornett for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Theo Vamvounakis.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(592)
Comments
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Perhaps the most Spanish of all tapas, this potato omelet makes a satisfying meal on its own; you can also serve it as a part of a spread with jamón, serrano, chorizo, cheese, olives and piquillo peppers. Poaching the potatoes and onions in olive oil makes them almost creamy. (Keep the infused oil in the fridge; it’s great for dipping bread or other uses.) —Francis Lam

Featured in: The King of Tapas

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Ingredients

Yield:8 - 12 servings

  • 1 ¼ pounds onions, diced

  • 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 ½ pounds russet potatoes

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • 4 cups extra-virgin olive oil

  • 10 large eggs

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 12 servings)

27 grams carbs; 186 milligrams cholesterol; 953 calories; 65 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 91 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 754 milligrams sodium; 10 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the onions, pepper and garlic in a large bowl. Peel the potatoes, quarter them lengthwise, and slice those crosswise into ⅛th inch tiles. (A mandoline is great for this.) Add them to the onion mixture and season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil over high heat in a 12-inch, deep-sided skillet (preferably nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron). Drop 1 potato tile into the oil as it heats; when it floats and then begins to fry vigorously, carefully add all the potato-onion mixture and stir gently.

  3. Step 3

    Cook the potatoes at a vigorous simmer, stirring occasionally so they don’t brown too much on the bottom, until they are very soft but not quite losing their shape, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes through a colander and let them cool until warm.

  4. Step 4

    Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Taste the potatoes for salt and season the eggs with salt accordingly. Stir the potatoes into the eggs.

  5. Step 5

    Place the skillet over medium high heat. When it is very hot, pour in the potato mixture, spread evenly and turn heat to medium. Using a spatula, gently pull the edges of the tortilla towards the center to release them from the pan and let any liquid egg run out the sides.

  6. Step 6

    After 4 minutes, cover the pan with the bottom of an oiled baking sheet. Using towels or oven mitts, carefully flip the pan onto the sheet, place the pan back over the heat, then slide the inverted tortilla back into the pan. Cook, without stirring, for 3 minutes. Both sides of the tortilla should be golden brown.

  7. Step 7

    Insert a long skewer into the side of the tortilla to see how wet it is inside. Some prefer the inside a little moist, some fully cooked. You can continue to cook it, flipping the tortilla as described once a minute, until it’s done to your liking. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
592 user ratings
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Comments

KES

I learned to make tortilla espanola from a woman in NW Spain and use about 4-6 Tablespoon oil for this size recipe..cooking the potatoes and onions (no bell pepper) slowly over medium to medium low heat until soft and not browned. Then continuing with the eggs. There is no need to drain oil.

Geraldine

First rule for making a great tortilla: Do not skimp on the oil! You essentially boil the potatoes and onion in oil, and if you go with less, you'll change the texture of the final product. I save the oil in the fridge for my next tortilla. And everyone's right: a green pepper does not belong in a (classic) tortilla. I will say that a nice variation can be had by adding thinly sliced zucchini to the potatoes.

Chris

I love the recipes on this site, but this one is really really bad. You don't put peppers or garlic in a Tortilla Española.

Sofia

I agree with a lot of the comments here, I have never seen a tortilla española with bell peppers in it. Part of me wonders if its due to a faulty translation? "Pimentón" translates to paprika - which I'd be much less surprised to see in a tortilla española - and it's very similar to "Pimiento" which translates to bell pepper. Perhaps it was a translation typo...

Janet Exploder

If you are a long time enjoyerer but first time cooker of tortilla española, I would suggest either quartering this recipe or finding one for noobs. I foolishly said, “I know these are tricky but I lived in Spain and know how good they are. It’ll be fine.” And then I used 4 cups of premium EVOO and 10 organic eggs and it was a flop. It tasted good, but was more like scrambled eggs with some potato and bell pepper than a pie of heaven. I may try again.

AND in CDMX

@Chris I made this recipe today, and it was very good. I cross-referenced this recipe with a José Andres (Spaniard) cookbook, which has 6 pages about tortilla española. He mentions garlic as a possibility in his long intro, andnthen specifically says "Aromatics like minced garlic ... pair well with tortilla."

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Credits

Adapted from Manolo Intriago

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