Tapas Night!

Working on a film has kept me apologetically MIA on the writing front for the last couple of months. However, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking.
Time to catch up.

For our March Supper Club, Spanish cooking was the theme. Right away, I knew I’d have to make Tortilla Española – a personal favorite. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a frittata loaded up with potatoes and pretty much whatever else you want add to it. I’m pretty sure that this dish makes an appearance on the table of just about every household with any kind of Spanish link in its chain. It’s super homey, easy, filling, and cheap. It’s also good just about anytime of day, hot or cold.

I have particularly fond memories of making a picnic lunch out of cold Tortilla Española on my friend Ele’s family’s boat one beach trip in Venezuela. And of course, while the flavors are most pronounced when it’s warm, it is fantastic to pick and nibble at straight out of the fridge.

It had been a while since I’d made it, so I needed a reference point. Mr. Mario Batali provided the needed support. I used the following recipe he provided to Food and Wine Magazine as my guide:

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds red bliss potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
(Note: I used Russets and they worked fine. Also, as a general rule I don’t peel potatoes. I like the flavor of the skin and don’t usually mind the texture in most dishes, so I personally find it a waste of time 9 times out 10. I just washed thoroughly and did a cursory peeling of the most blemished spot. If you really don’t like the texture or are a slave to aesthetics of a pristine potato, by all means, peel away.)
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the potato and onion slices, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the potatoes and onion are tender but not browned, about 15 minutes.



2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the potato mixture into the bowl, being sure not to leave any in the skillet.


3. Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the egg mixture, spreading it out in an even layer. Cover and cook over low heat until the tortilla is set on the bottom and the edges, about 10 minutes.


Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil 8 inches from the heat just until the top is set, about 1 minute longer. Set a large plate over the skillet and carefully invert the tortilla onto the plate.

Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Make Ahead - The tortilla can stand at room temperature for 3 hours before serving.

As you can see, it is a very simple recipe and Iron Chef Batali clearly knows what he is doing; thus, I only altered the recipe in a few small ways.

1) Poor G was forced to stay home from supper club this month to study and he was
going to be left all alone at home with nothing to eat while I headed off to feast.
(Well, that is if you don’t count the full fridge and pantry.) To assuage my guilt, I doubled the recipe and made him a whole Tortilla of his own.

If you want to make a large quantity for a bigger party, doubling the recipe really was not much more difficult. It just requires having and manning two skillets at once. You could make one, transfer the tortilla to another plate, and begin again in the same skillet, but I do think it would take a long time.

Another method you could employ to make a larger quantity without remaining a complete slave to the stove, is to lay out the sliced potatoes on a baking sheet and begin the cooking process in the oven. I've had success with the method in the past as well.

2) In step one, Mario says not to brown the potatoes and onions. Personally, I really like the flavor of onions that have begun to caramelize. Thus, I cooked the onions separately. Once they started to reach the consistency and flavor I was looking for, I added them in with the potatoes.



3) Pay attention, because this is key:

BACON!!!

I came to love bacon late in life, but now appreciate it in all its glory. It is a great flavor enhancer and a little goes a long way. Three strips of good quality applewood smoked bacon crumbled up into a tortilla will take it from yummy to decadent.

In my opinion, the best way to get bacon just right is to cook it in the oven.
(I personally tend to overcook bacon when I cook it in the skillet. A very kind butcher at a Whole Foods in Florida turned me onto to oven method for preparing pancetta. I now use it for both pancetta and bacon with far greater success than when I go the stove top route.) To cook it in the oven, simply lay strips flat on a baking sheet that has a lip and place it in at 400°F and bake for 15 -20 minutes, or until it has begun to brown and is crisped to your liking. At this point, remove very carefully from the oven. The fat will have begun to render and those hot juices will be swimming around the pan. Now, don’t go dumping the melted fat down the drain either. This is a precious treasure trove of flavor. Very carefully pour the fat into your skillet and substitute this for some of the olive oil in which to cook your potatoes and onions.

Crumble up the bacon and mix it in with the potatoes and onions, just before adding the egg mixture. Proceed cooking as directed from here. I like to serve the tortilla with a little sour cream. If you can find it, sprinkle a little smoked paprika (pimenton ahumado in Spanish) on top for a little extra flavor boost. The smoky quality enhances the flavor of the bacon another notch.

Enjoy alone or with other tapas. A glass of wine or sangria and friends to toast with are an absolute must!