Print

Spanish Tortilla (Tortilla Española)

Spanish tortilla sliced on cutting board

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Spanish tortilla (or tortilla española, or tortilla de patatas) is a simple, hearty, comforting recipe that comes together on the stovetop. You can serve it warm or chilled, alone or on a sandwich.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/4 cup olive oil divided, plus more if necessary
  • 1 small yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 4-5 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, halved and thinly sliced
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, plus more to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive in a skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine onions and potatoes into a bowl to mix, then place them into the sauté pan. Cover, reduce heat and cook until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork (about 25 minutes), but are not browned. If you choose to stir once or twice throughout, do so carefully to keep the potatoes in tact. Once cooked, transfer onions and potatoes to a large bowl.
  2. In a separate large bowl, whisk eggs together with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over onions and potatoes and stir a couple times to combine.
  3. Heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the egg and potato mixture to the skillet and very gently stir with a spatula for 1-2 minutes (almost like you're just pushing things around) until the eggs just start to set. Spread the mixture out so it sits in the skillet evenly.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the eggs are almost set, shaking the pan occasionally to keep the tortilla loose (about 15-20 minutes). When the eggs are just set (mostly cooked through except for maybe a little liquid at the top), run a rubber spatula around the outside of the tortilla to help loosen it. Gently slide the tortilla out onto a dinner plate, pan-side down (the part that wasn't touching the pan before should be facing up). Carefully flip the tortilla back into the skillet and cook for two more minutes.*
  5. Remove from heat, and transfer tortilla to serving plate. Allow it to cool for 20 minutes or more before serving.

Notes

*The technique I like to use when I flip is holding the bottom of the plate in one hand and placing the skillet face down over the tortilla, pressing the tortilla up against the plate. Then, as I flip, I maintain that pressure of the tortilla against the plate as I flip it over, and nothing spills out everywhere (goals).