Spanish Tortilla with Sweet Potato

The Spanish might find calling this a tortilla outrageous, because they are very proud of this national dish. We spice it up and add all kinds of ingredients, from sun-dried tomatoes and olives to grilled courgettes and capers. We find that baking the potatoes gives a less oily result than pan-frying, and we also like to finish the tortilla in the oven, unlike the traditional method where it’s made only on top of the stove. The following recipe is the most popular, but feel free to play around with it.

Serves 10.

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) potatoes, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) slices

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) sweet potatoes, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) slices

1 small white onion, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) slices

8 tablespoons olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

15 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon granulated onion

150 g (5 ½ oz) chopped veggies, such as sautéed peppers (capsicums), peas and mushrooms

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). In a large roasting tin, toss the potatoes, sweet potatoes and onion in the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the tin with baking paper, seal with kitchen foil, and bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside, still covered, for 15 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the tin with a slotted spoon, and reserve the oil to use later. Let the potatoes cool. Lightly beat the eggs together with some salt, black pepper and the onion powder. Add the potatoes and the chopped veggies. Heat a large pan (28 or 30 cm/11 ¼ or 12 inches) and add some of the reserved oil. When almost smoking, add the egg mixture. To avoid any sticking, shake loose from the edge of the pan. Lower the heat, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the eggs over onto a large, flat plate. Return the pan to the heat, add more of the reserved oil, and carefully slide the tortilla back into the pan. Cook on high for a couple of minutes to seal the outside. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes. Transfer the tortilla to a flat ovenproof plate and bake 8 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.