Patati, Patata, Frittati, Fritatta!

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I realized that I had a bunch of new potatoes in the fridge, becoming not-so-new anymore, so I decided that it would be "Frittata Night". 

Call it Tortilla de patatas, Spanish omelette, Frittata or Potato Omelette as I did growing up, this is an essential comfort food for me, and I've been making my own version of it for so long now, that it's a bit of a challenge to put it into words...

This simple dish can be served right away, but is often traditionally served after cooling at room temperature. It is one of the most common tapas in Spain and is always made  up of potatoes and eggs but other fillings vary by region. I prefer peppers, garlic and sometimes chorizo make a fun addition. Any leftovers should be refrigerated however, and what great leftovers this makes, best either served cold, warm or reheated.



Spanish Omelette

• 2 1/2 - 3 lbs waxy new potatoes (or any white potato works fine I just wouldn't recommend red ones because they sort of break down during frying, but can be used in a pinch. Sweet potato is a fun variation as well but burns easily while frying so you might want to reduce the heat a bit)
• 1-2 peppers of you choosing (I used one red pepper & 1 poblano pepper - careful when slicing hot peppers, using gloves is good idea because that hot pepper gets everywhere!) washed & slice the peppers length-wise into short pieces
• 2-3 garlic cloves to taste, chopped
• 10-12 free range eggs 

Wash potatoes and peel them unless your using new potatoes, then you can leave the skin on. Slice them in half and then cut crosswise in 1/4-1/2" thick half moons. Rinse them again under cold water and then pour them into a clean dish towel and dry. Drying them helps them brown better in the pan. 

Heat about 3 tbsp of oil on medium high in a large non-stick pan. Add the chopped potatoes. If you're impatient like I often am when I make this dish, you can put a lid on for the first 5-10 minutes or so, stirring the potatoes from time to time until it heats up and starts cooking through, once the potatoes start to get half translucent remove the lid so they start to fry & brown. Fry until cooked through and browned about 25-30 minutes.

Add peppers and garlic and cook until lightly browned (about 10 minutes more) reduce heat to medium and then season with a generous pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper and Piment d'Espelette*.



Break eggs into a large bowl and whisk well. Fold potato and pepper mixture into the beaten eggs and after checking that the pan still has an oily coating (if not add a little bit and spread to cover) pour the whole mixture back into the pan, arranging the potatoes and pepper to cover evenly. Cover and cook until set (about 10 minutes and then flip using the lid and cook another 5 minutes, just to brown the other side. Remove from heat, slice into wedges and serve!

*A note on Piment d'Espelette:  

Piment d'Espelette is a variety of chili pepper which originates from the Basque country, more specifically the Espelette region of France.







It is a medium hot pepper that that is more flavourful than chili pepper. It is a staple in Basque cuisine and used often in place of ground pepper. Piment d'Espelette is AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) and therefore only traditionally recognized as from that region, but it's immense popularity in powder form world-wide has increased it's popularity so much that I was surprised to find some "Piment d'Espelette" plants for sale this spring in a nursery! You will see me using it from time to time in my recipes, especially in traditional Basque dishes. My family loves their Piment d'Espelette and we have been growing it for a few years now, and happily try to find new uses for it apart from the drying and ground it into powder. If you like 'spicy' and are looking to try something new I encourage you to look for it in your local speciality grocery store and give it a try.


“Omelettes are not made without breaking eggs”  
- Maximilien Francois Robespierre


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