A lovely Venezuelan woman taught us how to make Tortilla Espanol or Spanish Omelette many years ago and it's been a firm favourite ever since. A handy recipe to have in your repertoire as it's quick and super easy to make, uses ingredients that are staples in most homes and doesn't break the bank. An inexpensive party dish for a crowd when it is cut into cubes, to serve, rather than wedges. And of course we've given it our native food twist with generous seasonings of Mountain Pepper and Tasmanian Pepper Salt!
This recipe makes enough for four for a light meal.
1 large brown onion, Cut into halves, and each half, sliced
6 medium waxy potatoes, cut into small cubes
8 large eggs
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Mountain Pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated
Tasmanian Pepper Salt to taste (we use about a teaspoon as we are a bit addicted to our infused salts - it's a personal choice)
Heat about a cup of olive oil in a frying pan and once hot, add the cubed potatoes. The potatoes must be fully covered by the oil so add a little more if necessary. Adjust the heat as you want to cook them a little slower than straight out frying. The potato texture will be more tender cooked over a medium heat and cook until they start to turn crispy and golden.
Drain the potatoes and reserve a little oil to cook the onions. Set aside.
Sauté the onion slices over a medium heat until they begin to caramalise. This takes about 15 minutes and use a wooden spoon to move the onions about so they don't stick to the pan. Once cooked, set aside.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the Mountain Pepper and the Tasmanian Pepper Salt
Add the caramalised onions and the potatoes to the beaten eggs and mix through. Let this mix stand for 15 minutes.
In a clean frying pan (non-stick is easiest) add a little oil and over a medium low heat. Pour in the potato and egg mix and let the egg cook for about 8 minutes. Sometimes we use a plastic spatula to move the potatoes and onion around to allow the egg to cover it all. After making sure the bottom of the omelette is cooked , you can flip the omelette to cook the other side, by placing a large plate over the pan and flip quickly - it may get messy! Slowly slide the omelette back into the pan and let the other side cook for another 7-8 minutes. This is the traditional way to cook Spanish Omelette.
If you don't feel brave enough to do the flipping thing, you can place the pan in a preheated oven (about 165C-170C) and let it cook through and there is not that much difference in the final outcome, which is great!
We like to add parmsan cheese to the top just before it's fully cooked nd let it turn golden brown.
Let the Spanish Omelette cool and firm and sprinkle with a little extra Tasmanian Pepper Salt before cutting into wedges to serve.
Like many dishes, a Spanish Omelette actually tastes bettter the next day or at least at room temperature. By this stage it will be quite firm and easy to cut and is ideal for nibbles.