Frederico Ribeiro’s Tortilla Española

By ltrodrigu

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• Neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (optional)
• 3 cups peeled and thinly sliced coins of fingerling potatoes
• Kosher salt
• 3 large eggs

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Place onions in an 8-inch nonstick skillet. Add enough oil to submerge onions. Cook on high heat 2 minutes, then add garlic. Cook until onions and garlic are sizzling and moving in pan, but before they begin to take on color, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook until onions are soft and translucent, 10-15 minutes.

Place potatoes in a bowl and massage with 2 generous pinches of kosher salt into potatoes.

Add potatoes to pan in an even layer covering onions and garlic. Increase heat to high. (Pan will be very crowded.) Stir potatoes frequently for even cooking, taking care not to break them. Bring liquid to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Continue to cook until potatoes are soft and creamy, about 20 minutes.

Transfer contents of pan to a mixing bowl. Pour off most of oil from bowl into a separate container, leaving about 2 tablespoons in bowl with potatoes. Set aside reserved oil for later use. Wipe pan clean.

Add eggs to potato mixture in bowl, aggressively stirring to create a batter that resembles soft-scrambled eggs. Break up potatoes for a creamier, wetter texture, but avoid mashing them. Season with salt.

Just before cooking tortilla, rinse a large, flat plate under running warm water. Remove plate from faucet and shake it off, so plate is still slightly wet. Use your hands to spread drops of water over plate’s surface so it’s just slick. Place plate beside stove so it’s easy to grab when you’re ready to flip tortilla.

Return clean pan to stove over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons reserved oil and tilt pan to coat. Once oil is just hot, add egg batter, gently swirling pan to prevent sticking as sides begin to set. Once batter starts moving as a unit when swirled, after no more than 2 minutes, you’ll know it’s ready to flip.

To flip, cover pan with inverted plate. Flip plate and pan together to turn half-cooked tortilla onto plate.

Let tortilla sit on plate for about 30 seconds while you return pan to stove over high heat and add enough oil just to lightly coat pan. Once oil is hot, take pan off heat and place on counter next to plate with tortilla. Lift plate and use a wooden or rubber spatula to carefully and gently slide tortilla back into pan, cooked side up. Use spatula to shape tortilla, gently pushing any uncooked batter underneath.

Set pan over medium heat and cook tortilla just until it moves as a unit when swirled in pan, 1-2 minutes. Remove from stove, wait 1 minute, then flip finished tortilla onto a plate. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold, sliced into wedges.