Spanish Tortilla

By vail28

Ingredients

• 1 large leek
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 6 extra-large eggs, beaten

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from weeklygreens.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the boiler and set the rack so that the skillet will be about 4 inches from the heat source.

Remove the tough outer layers from the leek, then trim the root and ends. Quarter the leek, then slice it thinly using all of the white part and just a little of the green. Place the chopped leek into a bowl of water and swirl to loosen any remaining dirt or sand. After a few minutes of soaking, remove the leeks from the water and drain.

Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into thin slices of about 1/8 inch. Heat the olive oil over medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough to make the potatoes sizzle (test with a small end piece to be sure), add the potatoes in one layer and cook until lightly brown. You will most likely need to cook the potatoes in several batches. Turn each slice, but do not allow them to become crispy. Remove the potatoes and place them on a paper towel. Sprinkle them with salt. Repeat until all the potatoes are lightly browned and salted.

If there is a lot of oil left in the pan, pour some of it off. Add the leeks to the skillet and cook for just a couple minutes, until they are starting to become browned. Turn off the heat and spread the leeks out so they cover the bottom of the skillet evenly. Add the potato slices back to the pan by arranging them in an overlapping circular pattern. Turn the heat back on to medium and pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Move the skillet around a bit to ensure that the eggs cover the entire pan. Once the eggs begin to set along the edges, put the skillet in the oven under the broiler for about 4 minutes. The top will be browned and fully set when it’s done.

Remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot or at room temperature.

Quick Tips

1. Be sure to use a skillet that is oven-safe. A cast iron skillet or an aluminum anodized skillet (such as Allclad LTD, which is what I used) will work well for this purpose.

2. This dish is very simply seasoned. The next time I make it, I’ll try using some fresh herbs, such as thyme or rosemary to take it up to the next level. If you do so here, let me know what you used and how it turns out by posting a comment below.