Spanish Tortilla from Jamie Oliver

Apologies in advance, I'm having trouble retaining photos in posts on this site so they won't appear for a while until I can figure out what the problem is.

Anyway, today I made a Spanish tortilla! Contrary to what the Westerners on my side of the pond think, this is more like a frittata or omelette than it is a quesadilla, which may be the first image that comes to mind. It's made of very simple ingredients: potatoes, onions (though this is a rather controversial ingredient), eggs, and oil. It is also supremely delicious. 

Now I chose Jamie Oliver's recipe because I was aiming for a healthier take on the typical Spanish tortilla, which usually calls for up to 2 cups of oil! He instead uses maybe 3 tablespoons (I used even less). I loosely followed the recipe, but I did make some alterations. Instead of 300g of potatoes, I used 400g (Yukon Gold). This is because 300g is basically one slightly large potato, and this was just too little for me. The rest of the ingredients I kept the same. 

I did use a different technique for cooking. After 20 minutes of cooking my potatoes with the onions, it still wasn't tender, so I just ended up throwing splashes of water to hurry everything along and steam them. It worked like a charm and I would definitely do it again. As well, when I was cooking the actual tortilla, the heat was too low. I had it on low for 15 minutes, and it did not solidify one bit, so I ended up raising it to a low-medium low setting. Plus, my only nonstick pan was too large, so my final tortilla was just 1cm in depth. Before I forget, a tip for flipping the tortilla: instead of flipping it onto a plate and sliding it back into the pan, slide it onto the plate and flip it that way. I found this way to be easier, plus you don't lose any of the runny egg as you would the other way.

Next time I make this I will double the recipe, save the eggs, instead I will add a cup of milk. I want a thicker tortilla and because it was so thin the edges came out kind of tough, so I want to see how it will turn out if I went for a more custard-like egg. I also added pepper this time around, but I will omit it the next time and just stick with salt. The dish doesn't need it and it takes away from the whole flavour.

Spanish tortilla is really, as I said before, supremely delicious. Because of how the onions and potatoes are cooked together, the potato kind of soaks up the onion flavour and you don't need as much salt as you think you do. It's good hot and cold, and it's honestly the epitome of simple food.

Recipe from: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/eggs-recipes/spanish-tortilla/

INGREDIENTS

300 g waxy potatoes

1 onion

olive oil

5 large free-range eggs

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel the potatoes using a speed-peeler, then carefully cut them into thin slices. Pat the potato slices dry with a clean tea towel.
2. Peel and finely slice the onion. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil into a small frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and potatoes.
3. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the onions are turning golden and the potato slices are cooked through. Try not to stir it too much or the potatoes will break up – just use a fish slice to flip them over halfway through.
4. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, season with a tiny pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then whisk together with a fork.
5. When the onions and potatoes are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and carefully tip them into the eggs. Transfer the mixture back into the frying pan and place it over a low heat. Cook for around 20 minutes, or until there’s almost no runny egg on top.
6. Use a fish slice to slightly lift and loosen the sides of the tortilla. Carefully flip the pan over a dinner plate and tip out the tortilla, then slide it back into the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
7. Turn out the tortilla onto a serving board, then cut into 6 wedges and serve hot or cold with a simple green salad.