Talking about potato omelette is opening a debate in which everyone can give their opinion. For better or for worse, you may be more or less of a fan of this popular dish, but on occasions, I am certain you have tried it.
Being a flagship dish of Spanish gastronomy has always put the tortilla in the spotlight, being a source of permanent debate due to its ingredients or its method of preparation.
You may prefer it more or less cooked, with or without onion, with breakfast or dinner... but when you find your favourite place to have an omelette, it doesn't matter what time of day it is, because any time is good enough to enjoy it.
"Without potatoes and baked": this is the recipe for the first tortilla that dates back to 1798. But, if there is someone who knows about tortillas - and a lot - it is Ciri González, in charge of La Encina, a restaurant in Palencia whose tortillas are among the most sought after in the country.
When you are good at making tortillas, you are good at it, and there is no more discussion, and that is the case of Ciri Gónzalez, who has won no less than four times the recognition for the best tortilla in Spain.
La Encina is the only restaurant that has won the award for the best omelette in Spain four times at the Best of Gastronomy Congress (2000, 2002, 2008 and 2021). They pride themselves on their recipe and technique.
The acclaimed tortilla at this Palencia restaurant is made with simple ingredients and a lot of love, where Ciri González adds the necessary touches of experience.
But how do they differentiate themselves? To prepare this recipe, at La Encina they use potatoes from La Ojeda in Palencia, a small amount of onion from Palenzuela, extra virgin olive oil, plenty of eggs, a pinch of salt and the grandmother's special frying pan. The result is a delicacy for the senses. Cooked on the outside but moist and slightly runny on the inside enabling that perfect transfer of flavours to the palette, delicate flavours which are totally lost when the tortilla is completely cooked through.
In addition to tortillas, at La Encina, you can find a wide variety of traditional dishes in a cosy dining room where we can enjoy an informal snack or a classy meal. One of their specialities is crispy roast leg of lamb.
If you are not fortunate enough to visit Valencia and taste this unbelievable tortilla for just €2,50.
This is the recipe for the best Spanish Potato Tortilla that is served to their guests:
Ingredients:
500 grams of Ojeda Potatoes (a local variety of New Potato)
8 Eggs
¼ Palenzuela onion (a local variety)
Olive oil
Salt
Recipe:
First, we peel and cut the Ojeda potatoes (a variety of New Potato) into uneven slices and finely chop a quarter of the Palenzuela onion. Once ready, we season the potatoes before starting to fry them in plenty of olive oil.
To fry the potato, place the pan with olive oil over high heat. You start with a lot of heat but gradually lower the temperature. The objective is that the potato is fried and not cooked. We will have the potato over the heat for more or less 20 minutes. Once the temperature of the oil has dropped slightly we can add the onion. Test the oil with a small piece of onion first to make sure it doesn't burn the onion. After the first ten minutes, turn over the potatoes so that they are golden brown on both sides. Once fried, they are removed and put in a colander to release the oil.
Now, the eggs must be beaten at room temperature. Once beaten, it is mixed with the potato and the fried onion, and it is left to macerate for a few minutes.
Finally, put a frying pan over high heat with a few drops of oil and pour in the mixture. After a few moments, just enough for the tortilla to brown, turn it over and remove the tortilla from the pan. Again, they are poured back into the pan with a few drops of oil to make the tortilla on the other side. In the same way, it is left over the heat for a few moments, in this way the potato omelette will develop a cooked outer shell so to speak but will be moist and slightly runny on the inside. Be careful not to cook it all the way through. It will take practice to hit the sweet spot!