- 2 medium/large sized potatoes
- 6 eggs
- a small/medium sized onion (there are two kinds of people: the ones that like their tortilla with onion, and the unlucky rest)
- salt, olive oil and sugar (yes, you read that right)
- a 25 cl beer bottle (we call them "un quinto" :)
- peel & dice the potatoes in small pieces (say, 2cm x 1cm x 0.3cm).
- put the bits in a heatproof glass bowl (I like Pyrex).
- pour half a glass of water and a generous amount of olive oil over the potatoes, stir, and put the bowl in the microwave for 10-15 minutes at max power.
- while your potatoes are spinning in the microwave, mince the onion and fry it on low-medium heat with a bit of olive oil until it starts turning yellow-brownish. Then, add a tablespoon of sugar, and stir slowly until it's fully mixed with the oil.
- when your microwave goes 'ding', open your beer bottle and pour a bit on the frying pan, and another bit inside the cook. Take the potatoes out of the microwave, and add them to the frying pan with the onion.
- turn up the volume on your burner (i.e: medium-high heat) and whenever you feel like it, pour a bit of beer in the potatoes. You can also add salt. Taste the potatoes every now and then, until your face lights up with the realisation that this tortilla is going to be good.
- while your potatoes are being fried, beat the eggs in your cristal bowl, adding a bit of salt and oil.
- when the potatoes are ready, take them out of the fire and let them cool a bit. When they're warm, mix them with the egg, and let the mix rest for about 15 minutes, so that the potatoes get soaked in the egg
- when your potatoes are well rested, drink the remaining beer (if there's any left) and put your frying pan in the fire with very little oil.
- when the pan is hot, turn down the heat to low, and pour the potatoes-and-eggs mix there. From now on, there are an infinite number of ways to do the tortilla. I leave it on the pan just enough to make a crust while leaving the inside almost raw, but YMMV. Let it cook on one side for about 1 minute, then use a plate to turn it around (see the proper technique in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw2Iip2Q9eo). You can cheat using a double-pan like this one but I suggest you to save your money for more eggs and more potatoes, and practise with a pan and a plate.
The first 5 to 10 times, my tortillas ranged from disgusting to ugly-but-eatable, but now I'm rather proud of the result. Invest some time to practice this recipe, and you'll never have a sad dinner again in your life :)