ffwd - basque potato tortilla

As I was preparing everything to get together with a couple of my friends to make the double chocolate mousse cake (see previous post) last weekend, I was kind of casting around for an idea of what kind of snack-ish thing I might have on hand... after all, we were likely to go through lunch time, plus there's that whole waiting for the first baked layer to chill thing. I thought... soup? but that might be too much, plus I didn't know what kind. I though maybe a tart or quiche, or some kind of sandwich/bread-ish thing? but no, one of my friends is gluten-free, and that hardly seemed right. So, I brought out Dorie's book. Hey... wait a minute... our recipe for this week is the basque potato tortilla!!! Not only was my dilemma resolved, but I could make my next recipe for French Fridays with Dorie!!

I resolved to make the tortilla in the morning before they came over, so that it would be ready (and I wouldn't need to fuss, or get in the way!). After going out to the garden to pick some fresh rosemary (I love that part!), I got my ingredients together, and I was ready to go! I had read Dorie's comments on what kind of pan to use. I decided not to bring anything up north. Since she said "a heavy skillet with a diameter of 9 to 10 inches... smaller is better than larger here", I decided that I would throw caution to the wind, and use the Sur la Table regular skillet - no non-stick this time. I crossed my fingers, hoping that it would turn out (literally!).



this could no be simpler... eggs, onion, garlic potatoes, herbs, olive oil... who doesn't have that
in their kitchen (ok, I don't usually have potatoes, but...)?

 

prepped and ready
I love the rosemary we have - the trailing kind with beautiful blue flowers



ready to start the first step - a nice saute of the potatoes



set aside to cool a bit and allow for the cleaning of the skillet



and the eggs and spices

here's the really tricky part
eggs? in a not non-stick pan? had me uber-worried!

but, after following directions on temperature
and numerous runnings of the spatula (another blatant product plug - the "Joseph"
utensils, also at SLT, are perfect - thanks Craig) around the sides/bottom,
I was totally amazed that it was not sticking!!
I probably should have had the heat lower, because this is when I took it off the stove
and placed it under the broiler



maybe a bit too toasty, but I wanted it cooked through
I probably started with broiling a bit early!

the finished tortilla! beautiful!



yum!

So, while this was fun & tasty, what was more fun was hearing one of my guests say "this is exactly what we had when we were traveling through Spain... you order a glass of wine, and they serve you a slice of this potato tortilla"!!! What a wonderful confirmation that something turned out right! We really enjoyed this. In keeping with the authentic way of serving, we had an excellent glass of wine (thanks JC) along with.

I thought this was really good when I first made it. I think it suffered a little bit as a "leftover" - but let's face it, sharing a piece of the tortilla over a glass of wine with friends is always going to be better than a quick lunch at work during a busy day!!

I want to try some of Dorie's other Bonne Idees as well, or even some other combinations. I think I'll adjust the pan size (up! - sorry Dorie) if I make it with the same ingredients - but what a terrific quick meal/snack. What a great thing to wind down on a Friday evening with... an easy basque tortilla and a nice glass of wine!

(and on an important side note... wow! the directions for cooking, with eggs (!), in a regular pan worked beautifully! I thought it would stick and I'd be scrubbing for days! I'm so excited to try that again... very, very cool. Thanks, Dorie!)