This is a Spanish Tortilla Recipe (Tortilla De Patatas) recipe made with gold potatoes, yellow onion, eggs, and lots of olive oil.
I lived in Madrid for four years of my life, where I learned the wonders of tapas. Being a 14 year old at the time, my favorite was obviously tortilla de patatas. Since I grew up Mexican, I always thought tortillas were made out of corn. I was wrong! Going out in Madrid for some wine and tapas was my favorite thing to do. I would always order tortilla and their nicest crusty bread to go with it.
If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Pan Tumaca or my Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp) Recipe.
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What is Spanish Tortilla?
Spanish tortilla is similar to an omelette and only uses potatoes, eggs, onion, and olive oil. The word tortilla in Spain is considered an omelette. So tortilla de patatas means potato omelette.
Why you will love this Tortilla Española
Versatile: This Spanish Tortilla, or Spanish Omelette, is a traditional dish from Spain. It is served at room temperature and has a neutral taste, so feel free to add anything with it.
Hearty: The egg and potato combination is what makes this dish so hearty and wholesome.
Kid Friendly: In Spain, kids grew up eating this at any time of the day.
Great for any weather: When I lived in Madrid, Spain for four years, we ate this in the summer and winter months.
Spanish Omelette Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Gold potatoes
- Yellow onion
- Olive oil
- Eggs
- Salt and pepper
See recipe card for quantities for this Spanish Tortilla Recipe (Tortilla De Patatas).
How to make this Spanish Tortilla Recipe
Peel and slice the potatoes and onions. The thinner they are the better. It is better to use a mandoline if you have access to one.
Using a medium skillet, heat up the olive oil on medium heat and wait for the oil to shimmer. Add the sliced onion, potatoes, and salt into the skillet. With a wooden spoon, toss the vegetables for about 6-9 minutes. Reduce heat until the oil is bubbling at a slow pace. Toss potatoes gently every few minutes, until they are tender when pierced with a small knife. Do not let the potatoes break or brown, reduce the heat if necessary.
As the potatoes cook, beat eggs with some salt and pepper in a large bowl. Drain potatoes in a colander, reserving oil. Wipe out skillet and heat the skillet over a medium flame for a minute. Add two tablespoons of the reserved oil. Gently mix the potatoes in with the beaten eggs and let the potatoes soak for 15 minutes in the eggs.
Pour the mixture into the skillet. As soon as the edges firm up, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for another five minutes. Using a flat wooden spoon, insert around the edges to give it shape and make it easy to slide off, the top should still be raw. Place a big plate on top of the skillet and flip it so the tortilla is now on the plate.
Slide the tortilla back onto the skillet and use the spatula to place it back on. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips for making this Spanish Tortilla
- Make sure to use a plate bigger than the skillet when you are flipping. I would suggest doing it over the sink too.
- Salt the beaten eggs so it can retain moisture.
- Don't shy away from using too much olive oil when frying the entire tortilla.
- When you are done, make sure it comes to room temperature or even cold before serving.
Substitutions
Potatoes: Traditionally, this uses gold potatoes, but feel free to use russet, Yukon or even baby potatoes, as long as they are sliced very finely.
Olive oil: It is important to use good quality extra-virgin olive oil for this. You could use good quality avocado oil as well.
Eggs: For best quality, use cage-free, organic eggs.
Onion: This traditionally uses yellow onion, but I have used red or white in the past as well.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - top with hot sauce.
- Deluxe - serve on crusty bread, like a tapa.
- Kid friendly - add ketchup!
Check out this Pulpo a la Gallega for more Spanish tapas.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality.
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
Let the potatoes soak in the eggs for 15 minutes before refrying.
Spanish Tortilla Recipe (Tortilla De Patatas)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This is an Authentic Spanish Tortilla recipe made with gold potatoes, yellow onion, eggs, and lots of olive oil.
Ingredients
- 3 medium gold potatoes, about 1 pound
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 cup olive oil
- 6 large eggs
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel and slice the potatoes and onions. The thinner they are the better. It is better to use a mandoline if you have access to one.
- Using a medium skillet, heat up the olive oil on medium heat and wait for the oil to shimmer. Add the sliced onion, potatoes, and salt into the skillet. With a wooden spoon, toss the vegetables for about 6-9 minutes. Reduce heat until the oil is bubbling at a slow pace.
- Toss potatoes gently every few minutes, until they are tender when pierced with a small knife. Do not let the potatoes break or brown, reduce the heat if necessary.
- As the potatoes cook, beat eggs with some salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Drain potatoes in a colander, reserving oil. Wipe out skillet and heat the skillet over a medium flame for a minute. Add two tablespoons of the reserved oil. Gently mix the potatoes in with the beaten eggs and let the potatoes soak for 15 minutes in the eggs. Pour the mixture into the skillet. As soon as the edges firm up, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for another five minutes.
- Using a flat wooden spoon, insert around the edges to give it shape and make it easy to slide off, the top should still be raw. Place a big plate on top of the skillet and flip it so the tortilla is now on the plate. Slide the tortilla back onto the skillet and use the spatula to place it back on. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Trick is to let the potatoes soak in the eggs - about 15 minutes or so. This step is critical.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Spanish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 189.7
- Sugar: 0.4 g
- Sodium: 56.3 mg
- Fat: 13.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.4 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 6.5 g
- Cholesterol: 177.1 mg
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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