When I cook this I use cheddar cheese and often slip in other vegetables - a little grated squash or carrots, or some sweet kale or tangy sorrel. One of the few ways to get my son to eat greens (though he does sometimes spend his time carefully pricking out anything green with a fork).

Will try making this with garlic instead of scallions/onions... What kind of tortillas are you using: corn or flour?

In my family, we always use regular (Spanish!) onions and fry them with the potatoes. I like to add bits of chorizo or decorate the top with strips of roasted red pepper sometimes. Really, anything goes. Super comfort food and super cheap too!

Travelgirl: the tortilla IS the potato omelette or fritatta. Torta means “flat round edible thing” (more or less). Tortilla is a diminutive version of the word, not really referring to the size in this case. In Mexico “tortilla” refers to the corn or wheat flour flat bread rounds, in Spain it refers to this dish. Same name, same shape, different food.

P.S. in Spain, we don’t bake the tortilla. We cook it in the pan on one side, flip it onto a plate and slide it back into the pan to finish cooking.
The flip is part of the fun and the artistry of making a tortilla.

i appreciate the extra information. being of mexican indian descent, i’ve mostly used tortillas as most americans would use breads. interesting to see potatoes being used in this way...

just for giggles, i might have to try it with corn tortillas, perhaps turning it into a weird lasagna :)

A few more tips for success with this recipe, but please understand that I’m a fan of preserving traditional cultural recipes and not americanizing them by adding cheese. I’m also from a Catalan family and have observed this dish being cooked by old aunties and chefs in Spain over the course of many years.

Rebeca’s comments are spot-on -- this dish is never cooked in the oven. When the egg liquid is almost evaporated, place a dinner plate over the pan, hold w/ one hand and flip the pan + plate and set it on the counter, plate side down. I get the best results from a well-seasoned cast iron skillet -- it is much trickier cooking w/ a stainless steel skillet.

Tips for the potatoes and rest of cooking: When you are boiling potatoes for another recipe, par-boil a few extra for a tortilla de patata the next day -- then when you brown the potatoes as in step #1, you’ll have an easier time of getting them tender instead of burning them. I slice the potato rounds very thinly. Also, I saute the onions w/a bit of salt and olive oil (do not substitute another oil) on med-high first, then remove them, then add the potatoes to brown -- this helps to season the potatoes. Have the eggs beaten ahead of time, and w/ heat still on med / med-hi add them as soon as the potatoes are done. Wait about 30 secs for eggs to set, turn down the heat to med-low and move the pan back and forth to see if they are in fact, set. Continue cooking on med-low until liquid is almost evaporated then follow flipping instructions above.

This tortilla is an everyday snack item in Spain, best eaten on “pa amb tomquet” or “pan con tomate”: a split chunk of baguette that is rubbed with a ripe tomato on the cut sides, and sprinkled w/ salt and olive oil.

Other variations of tortilla espanyola that I’ve had in southern Catalunya (near Valencia)include eggplant, leek, baby artichoke, and zucchini (singly, not mixed together. meat is not typically featured, either.)