Tortilla de Patatas

Adapted from Smittenkitchen.com

This recipe is great for a weeknight meal served with a salad with a light vinaigrette. Also great for leftovers or for serving Spanish tapas at dinner parties (cut into small wedges and serve on toothpicks at room temperature). I first had this as a "tortilla de patatas bocadillo" in Madrid, Spain back in high school. Unfortunately, no more of those for me! But, this is delicious without the bread anyways...

3 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled
salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 large, fresh eggs
2 tablespoons chicken stock or broth

Preparing the potatoes:

Slice the potatoes very thinly width-wise. If you have a mandoline, use this.

Cooking the potatoes:

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet (I used two medium-sized ones because it was what I had) over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the potatoes in even layers. Cook, stirring occasionally, to prevent the potatoes from sticking and browning, until they are almost cooked, but still al dente (about 10 minutes). Add more olive oil if needed. Stir in the onion, reduce the heat to low, and cook the potatoes until all of them are soft, about 15 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste. When everything is soft line a colander with towels and transfer the potatoes and onions into the colander, let drain and cool a bit (make sure they are seasoned to your taste).

Preparing the omelette:

Place the eggs, chicken stock, and a couple of pinches of salt in a large mixing bowl and beat until scrambled. Gently stir in the potato/onion mixture. Mash and stir the egg mixture gently with a fork to crush the potatoes just a little and mix them up well with the eggs. Let stand for about 10 minutes.

Cooking the tortilla de patatas:

Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy large nonstick skillet. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and flatten the potatoes with a spatula until the top is fairly even. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, moving and shaking the skillet, running a thin spatula around the edge and sliding it into the middle so that some of the egg runs under for about one minute, then let it cook undisturbed until the top is a little wet but not liquid, 6 to 8 minutes. Run the thin spatula under the tortilla to make sure that no part of the bottom is stuck to the skillet.

Top the skillet with a rimless plate slightly larger than the skillet and, using oven mitts, quickly invert the tortilla onto the plate. If the skillet looks dry, add a little more olive oil. Carefully slide the tortilla back into the skillet, uncooked side down. Shake the skillet to straighten the tortilla and push the edges in with the spatula. Reduce the heat to very low and cook the tortilla until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 3 to 4 minutes.

Invert the tortilla onto a serving plate and pat the top with a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Let it cool a little, then cut the tortilla into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.