The Spanish omelette (“tortilla”) is the perfect weeknight meal, and it’s even better the next day as leftovers!

My husband introduced me to Spanish omelettes (also known as tortillas) years ago when we were first dating, and I fell for them immediately.

Unlike a flat Mexican tortilla, a Spanish tortilla is a thick omelet, made with thinly sliced potatoes and diced onions and sometimes peas and garlic.

To make a traditional Spanish omelette, you flip the entire omelette halfway through cooking by inverting it onto a plate and then sliding the omelet off the plate and back onto the pan to finish cooking.

It’s a trick that works perfectly when it works… and ends up in disaster when it doesn’t!

In the recipe below, I’ll walk you through two different styles; one with the inverted flip if you’re the adventurous sort, and the other if you feel like just slipping the Spanish omelette into the oven so it can finish cooking there instead.

The “flip” might sound complicated, but it’s not!

This is such an easy recipe and it a PERFECT weeknight dinner. I usually serve my Spanish omelette with a bit of mayo, some salad and a hunk of crusty bread. It makes fabulous leftovers, too.

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Ingredients

Instructions

My husband has a family connection with Spain, so tortillas have been a part of our weeknight table as long as we’ve been together. 

They look complicated to make because of the “flip”: once the underside of the tortilla has cooked in the pan, the tortilla is slid onto a plate and the raw side of the tortilla is flipped back onto the pan to continue cooking. I’ve included instructions for the “flip” below, but if you’re nervous about such an undertaking, you can use a specialty tortilla pan that has a top and bottom for easy flipping, or cook in a cast-iron pan or something similar that can be used in the oven, and cook the tortilla as you would a frittata, at about 350*F until the center is set and no longer jiggly.

I love using peas in my tortilla although it drives my husband crazy; he’s a purist and likes only eggs, onions, olive oil, and potatoes. You can choose to leave the peas in or not! 

If you’re prepping this ahead of time, squeeze all the air you can out of the bag with the sliced potatoes; this will help lessen the discolorization. They still will turn slightly brown if sliced and held, but the flavor won’t be affected; it’s up to you if this bothers you enough to slice the potatoes ahead of time or not. I use a mandolin to slice the potatoes thin; it’s much easier than attempting with a knife!

1. Wash the potatoes and slice thinly, leaving the skins on.
2. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, 2 tablespoon olive oil and salt. Toss to coat each potato slice as evenly as you can.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until shimmering.
4. Add the potato and onion mixture and cover. Lift the lid to stir occasionally, making sure the potatoes and onions aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. The potatoes are ready when they are thoroughly cooked through and fall apart easily when pressed.
5. In the same bowl used to toss the potatoes and onions, whisk the eggs. Stir in the peas and set aside.
6. When the potatoes have finished cooking, add them to bowl with the eggs and peas.
7. Clean the pan, then return it to the stovetop. Add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil and turn the heat to medium.
8. Preheat the oven to 350*F, if you plan on using the oven method to finish the omelet.
9. When the oil is shimmering, add the potato and egg mixture to the hot pan.
10. Cook, turning and swirling the eggs around the pan. Use a rubber spatula to gently lift away the edges of the omelette as it cooks. 
11. Continue swirling and lifting the edges until the sides and bottom have started to brown. Lifting the edges like this reinforces the sides of the omelet, making it stronger and easier to flip.

Invert and flip method:

1. The omelet is ready to flip once the omelet has started to brown at the edges and the sides have set.
2. Take a shallow, wide plate, at least as large as the pan. Place the plate upside down, on top of the omelette.
3. Using kitchen towels or oven mitts, pick up the pan and plate together, holding securely, and flip so that the pan is on top. Return the pan to the stovetop.
4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and heat until shimmering, then slide the omelet back into the pan.
5. Continue to cook until the bottom of the omelet has browned and the eggs are set, about 3-5 minutes. Serve hot as is, or let cool.

Oven method:

1. Once the bottom of the omelet has started to brown, place the pan in the oven and finish the omelet there. The top will puff slightly and become uneven,
2. Once the omelet is cooked through and has started to brown, about 3-5 minutes, remove from the oven.
3. Let the omelet rest until cool enough to handle, then serve.

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