Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish Omelette)
The bar-counter standard: potatoes, onion, eggs, patience.
Tortilla de patatas is the Spanish omelette: potato and onion softened slowly in oil, mixed with beaten egg and set in a pan. It is served warm or at room temperature, in wedges, at any hour. The patience is all in the first stage — the potato is poached in oil rather than fried crisp.
Ingredients
- 600g waxy potatoes
- 1 large onion
- 6 eggs
- Olive oil
- Salt
Method
- 1
Slice potatoes thin and poach them gently in olive oil with the sliced onion for 25 minutes — they should be soft, not browned.
- 2
Drain, keeping the oil for next time.
- 3
Beat the eggs with salt, fold in the warm potatoes and rest 10 minutes.
- 4
Cook in a small pan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- 5
Flip with a plate and cook 3 minutes more, keeping the middle juicy.
The strained oil is reusable for a month — that is half the cost back.
The rest of the tapas round
- Patatas Bravas — The fried potato version, with the brava sauce.
- Pan con Tomate — The bread course that starts the round.
The Tapas Atlas
Six Spanish recipes are free here. The guide holds fourteen, plus the ordering language, the pricing rules and the label knowledge that turn a tapas bar from a guess into a decision.
Fourteen Spanish recipes, and the law, language and labels around them.
- Fourteen Spanish recipes with metric and US measures
- Regional context from Andalusia to the Basque Country
- Menu and ordering language for bars and restaurants
- Protected food names and what they guarantee
Travelling more widely? The Complete European Table holds all seven expanded guides — 495 pages across 7 guides, one-time purchase.
Get all 7 guides — $29.99Cooking this way every week? Read our free guide to the Mediterranean diet on a budget.