Tortilla española

This is not, I repeat not, a Mexican dish. (Even though I recently returned from Mexico and LOVE the food). The Spanish (española) from its name is Spanish as in Spain, not the language. It is also not a tortilla as most Americanos think of tortilla. A better way of thinking of it would be Spanish Omelette. Most American students studying in Spain go crazy for tortilla española (it really is delish!) to the dismay of their Spanish mamás who think it's super easy and doesn't deserve the honor given it by the students in comparison with all the other wonderful things she is able to create for them. That would be equivalent to an exchange student coming here and staying with a mom who is a pro at making omelettes, quiche, and blueberry stuffed french toast, but the student only wants the scrambled eggs! That is given the assumption, of course, that Spanish mamás are fabulous cooks and most are. Mine, however, did not cook anything. We ate take out and anything that can be brought directly from the grocery store to the microwave so, sadly, I did not learn how to make tortilla española at the elbow of a wise mamá who was humoring me by teaching me this super easy dish. Instead, I bought a pretty Spanish cookbook for the pictures and used the recipe in that. My mamá actually purchased tortilla from the store (if you were a typical Spanish mamá, you would be passed out on the floor right now). It came pre-made and actually tastes pretty decent, but it's the principle of the matter. No self-respecting Spanish mamá would ever consider it. Alright enough of my reminiscing, on to the recipe. 

First step is to fry up 3-ish diced (or sliced, if your mamá told you to do it that way...) potatoes with olive oil and salt. You need to use more oil and salt than your health-conscious instincts will tell you, but it really makes it taste better. It takes about 15-20 minutes until they're cooked all the way through and you'll have to watch it to make sure they don't burn. In the meantime, you can beat about 5 eggs with more salt (yes, more salt) in a bowl. When the potatoes are ready, drain off any extra oil and pour the potatoes into the bowl with the eggs. Stir them together until they're well mixed. You can put the extra oil back in the pan (just make sure there's not too much). 

Next, pour the egg and potato mixture back in the pan and let it cook on low heat for a while until it thickens up. The trickiest part is flipping it over. It helps to use a plate so that it all stays together. Once it's brown on both sides, it's good to go. It's delicious hot or cold. This is the very basic tortilla, but it could be used as a base with other ingredients added. Some ideas: onions, mushrooms, fresh veggies, chorizo, spinach, and, if you really want to be Spanish, seafood of any and all types. If you want to turn this into a calorie overload, you can turn it into a bocadillo (a sandwich made with crusty white bread, similar to a French baguette). Just slap slices of tortilla on a roll and you're good to go. My mamá may not have cooked much, but she did give me some excellent bocadillos for our excursions, which often included the fabulous tortilla española bocadillo (not recommended for everyday consumption).