« Family, family and more family | Main | Revisión médica »

Tortilla de Patatas

tortilla

~3-4 large Yukon Gold potatoes
1-2 yellow onions, diced
1 small (or 1/2 large) zucchini, sliced
1/2 Italian red pepper, cut in half and then sliced.
olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
10 eggs
1 Tbsp white flour (optional)
2-3 Tbsp milk (optional)

1. Peel and cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then lengthwise again into 2 or three more pieces per half. Then cut crosswise into 1/4 to 1/8 inch thin pieces. Dice the onions. Slice the zucchini and red pepper.

2. Using a 12 inch non-stick fry pan (or if you are scaling down the recipe, an 8- or 10-inch pan), sautee the onions in some olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, add more olive oil and add the sliced potatoes. Cook the onions and potatoes for a long time (~ 1/2 hour). Regulate the heat to make it just hot enough to cook well but not burn the potatoes. Add more olive oil if necessary. When the potatoes are getting softer and almost ready to fall apart, add the vegetables and cook them until soft. Add salt and pepper. The potatoes should readily break apart with a wooden spoon.

3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until fluffy. (Optionally, make a slurry of white flour and milk and beat it into the eggs. This can make the tortilla a little lighter, but it may be more difficult to flip.) Add the 3/4 tsp of salt. Add pepper to taste. Add the potato-vegetable mixture (you do not need to let it cool – it should be hot or at least warm) and let it sit for 10 minutes. There should be enough egg to easily cover the potatoes. Too much potato and the tortilla will fall apart.

4. In the same pan, heat several more tablespoons of olive oil over low heat. Add the egg potato mixture to the pan and slowly cook (as slow as possible so as not to burn the eggs). When it’s cooked about halfway through, start to occasionally run a spatula underneath it to unstick it and give it a few shakes now and then. When it has cooked about 3/4 of the way through (all the way through on the edges) and is an uneven brown color on the bottom, unstick it with a spatula and shake it back and forth to make sure it moves freely. Slide it onto a large plate, or even better, a flat metal baking sheet. Turn the pan upside down on top of it and holding the plate (or sheet) to the pan, flip it back over. You are very likely to make a mess and spill some egg here or there so move stuff out of the way first. Cook it on the other side, shaking occasionally, until browned on the bottom and cooked through (you can test with a butter knife). Turn off the heat and slide onto a serving plate.

Serves 4-6 people

NOTE: It is sometimes difficult to flip a 12-inch fry pan. It also takes more patience to cook this much tortilla. If you use a couple less eggs and less potato, you can use an 8 or 10 inch non-stick fry pan and the process will be much smoother. Once you get the hang of it, go ahead and try the 12-inch.