- Tortilla Española

Ingredients:

Spanish omelet- an egg and potato creation that makes a meal with bread and salad.  Serves 4.  Ingredients: 4-5 eggs, beaten; 4-5 small potatoes, peeled and sliced into very small, thin pieces; salt; 3-4 Tb. olive oil; Optional varieties: 1 cup cooked spinach; ½ onion, diced; ½ cup ham, diced; ¾ cup mushrooms; ½ cup fried pepper, diced; or ½ cup cooked bacon.  **The key to a successful tortilla is a good non-stick pan that is fairly small with rounded edges, so the tortilla will take the shape of the pan, and a round plate with a shallow bottom.

No-Stick Trick:  Before cooking, rub all over the pan and the edges of the pan with a piece of raw garlic, peeled and cut in half.  Use the exposed cut half of the garlic on the pan.

Preparation:

Fry the potato in a pan with olive oil, and add salt to taste.  Use a metal spoon to continue to cut the potato into even smaller pieces as it fries.  Once browned, remove potatoes from oil onto a plate.  Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.  Stir in the potato and any optional ingredients into the eggs.  Drain pan until there is 3-4 tablespoons of oil left.  Fry mixture over low heat so it doesn’t burn.  Once bottom starts to brown, transfer the tortilla to the round plate, and flip it into the pan so the other side will cook.  Prick the tortilla with a fork so that it cooks through.  Cook about 7-10 minutes over low heat so doesn’t burn.  Continue flipping to make sure it gets cooked: 2-3 times if just use egg and potato; 3-4 times if use vegetables or meat.  Use flat metal spoon and go around edges to round the edges to the shape of the pan.  When brown and cooked through, remove from heat.  Serve warm or at room temperature.