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Making a Spanish Omelet

Practice Makes Perfect

By Iria Vasquez-PaezPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Over the years, I have struggled to learn how to make a Spanish omelet. My latest attempt involved putting the egg in the potatoes and not the potatoes in the egg. I used olive oil in the past. But then I observe my family uses too much of that so I switched to vegetable oil instead. The vegetable oil was working well for me this time around since I managed to retain some consistency. The eggs have to be solidified at the bottom of the frying pan. Most omelet making involves putting the vegetables in with the eggs anyway. Spanish omelet is called tortilla de patatas.

It works hot or cold, for many different times of day, from snack time to dinnertime. You can use olive oil or vegetable oil to make this kind of tortilla. Tortilla is simply not the same as Mexican tortillas, which are flat and do not have oomph like eggs and potatoes. Spanish omelet is practically a national dish the Spanish are into.

  1. You start by salting your eggs and beating them up.
  2. Onions can be used to add moisture to the tortilla itself but some Spanish people make tortilla plain with no onions. You can also add chorizo or Spanish ham. A tortilla can be thick or thin depending on how many eggs you use. Soaking the potatoes in the eggs is what you need to do to make a good Spanish omelet.
  3. Potatoes must be soaked in the eggs until they are softened. I’m still practicing my Spanish omelet. I have to do it over and over again until I get the flipping right.
  4. When the egg is solid, you flip the tortilla in the frying pan onto a plate. The plate captures the omelet and you then turn it around and fry the lose side. Frying requires two cups of oil whether you use vegetable or olive oil. PAM generally doesn’t work well with a tortilla despite the fact PAM is frying without added calories. The thicker the batter, the easier it is to flip. My mistake was not making my batter thick enough. I will use three eggs, and one big Yukon gold potato next time.

Beating the eggs for the tortilla causes the tortilla to have air, and then you put the egg into the potatoes to mix it. I realize I have been skipping this step. Sometimes, people insist on leaving the potatoes mixed with the eggs for an hour. I haven’t tried this and this is beyond my experience although I’m sure my family does this. The oil in the frying pan has to be hot to fry the potatoes. Sometimes I put it in without the oil being hot. The oil cannot be too hot though because then you burn your tortilla.

I don’t even have a spatula to use for any reason. Shaping the tortilla means the eggs have to solidify. The last attempt to make one didn’t necessarily solidify. I have been practicing my Spanish omelet since 2016 as I live on my own and cook for myself. Some of it is better. Other parts of it need work. Sometimes people enjoy a runny center for a tortilla. Flipping the tortilla back and forth a few times means you can solidify the bottom or the top. The bottom becomes the top. The top becomes the bottom. This happens because you have to flip it. Make sure your potatoes are cut in thin slices. A plate must be flat enough so that it is a nice plane for your omelet. You have to flip the tortilla to get it to cook right. After the final flip, you can put it on your plate. Sometimes draining the oil while at the cooking the potatoes stage is something you can do to your omelet so that the oil doesn’t overpower the potatoes. I’m working on my technique still.

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About the Creator

Iria Vasquez-Paez

I have a B.A. in creative writing from San Francisco State. Can people please donate? I'm very low-income. I need to start an escape the Ferengi plan.

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