Spanish-style Egg and Potato Tortilla Recipe

This is a tortilla. Oh no, you will say; a tortilla is a flatbread. But if you happen to wander into a tapas bar in Barcelona (the city, not the planet), you're likely to be served a wedge from one of these egg-and-potato pies, a staple of tapas menus, which is also called a tortilla.

I was taught how to make these many years ago by a grad student from Spain who stayed at my house for a couple of days while attending some sort of academic event here in Toronto. She told me it's normal to simply leave them out on the counter, possibly under an upturned bowl, for hungry family members to slice as they come home from work or school.

I've made one today because it's a perfect way to use items from my winter farm-food box. Here's the recipe: 

Spanish Tortilla
The tortilla should be cooked in a straight-sided pan. Mine measures 8" across and 2" deep; it's a good quality, copper-lined stainless steel pan. I expect cast iron would work too, but the diameter should not be much more than 8". You will also need a plate that fits neatly over the top of the pan; the less dished it is, the better (that is, it should be flat, not bowl-shaped).

• About one cup of olive oil
• About four medium-sized potatoes
• Four eggs
• One onion
• Dash of coarse salt
• Optional additions could include bits of spicy dried sausage, hot peppers, olives or other salty, spicy tidbits

1. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes into pieces not larger than about 2" across.
2. Peel and thinly slice the onion.
3. Heat the oil and begin to cook the onions and potatoes, a few pieces at a time, so they don't stick together. They should be soft and slightly transparent, but not browned. Reserve them in a colander, or drain them on paper or a dishtowel. (Be sure not to get bits of paper stuck to the potatoes!) I believe you can boil the potatoes instead to reduce the calorie count, but I've never tried it and I'm sure the results would be somewhat different.
4. Beat the eggs and add the salt and drained potatoes. Allow the mixture to stand until the potatoes have absorbed some of the extra liquid; perhaps 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain and reserve the leftover olive oil from the pan and clean any stuck bits out thoroughly.
5. Oil the bottom and sides of the pan well with the reserved oil and heat it over a medium flame. Pour the egg-potato mixture into the hot pan and push it down firmly with a spatula, pulling away from the sides, to form a solid cake.
6. Shake the pan firmly to keep the cake from sticking, and continue to press down with a spatula to encourage it to hold together.
7. Here's the fancy part: as soon as the mixture begins to solidify, invert your plate over the top of the pan, and turn both pan and plate upside down to turn out the half-cooked tortilla onto the plate. Return the pan to the heat, clean out any stuck bits of egg, potato or onion, and add a bit more oil. Slide the tortilla back into the pan, uncooked side down. Continue to shake the pan and press the tortilla down.
8. Repeat the flipping activity until you have a solid, firm cake that's golden on the outside but still a little moist inside. Remove it from the pan.

Serve cooled wedges, as is or with a hot pepper sauce or chutney. It makes a great bar snack.