I started out this afternoon thinking “I’ve got extra POINTS(tm) to blow, I should to go to Central Market and have a pizza for lunch”. But then I realized that it was noon-thirty on a rainy Saturday, and that everyone and their dog would probably be there. So I watched some old episodes of Jamie at Home (I love his cooking style, even though I’ll never have the appreciation for bitter greens or chiles that he seems to have), to wait out either the weather or my estimate of how many people would be there.
I must’ve been inspired while I was watching the cooking shows, or maybe I came to my senses and decided I didn’t need to eat all that fat and cheese. Whatever the cause, the result was the tasty recipe that’s below the fold. I was reminded, as I ate it, of a tortilla sandwich that I got as a lunchtime snack in a bar in Madrid, when I was on a tour of Southern Spain after high school. That sandwich was on a crusty baguette, and this one is on sourdough toast, but I think I properly captured the essence of the sandwich. And it was much tastier than the pizza would have been. Home cooking triumphs again!
Tortilla Española Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 slices sourdough bread
- 2/3 cup southern-style hash browns (or 2/3 cup Russet or other baking potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 of a medium onion, sliced very thinly
- 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
- 1/4 tsp seasoned salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp paprika (or to taste)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
- Turn on your broiler (to high, if it has a multiple “broil” settings), and position an oven rack about 6″ from the broiler flame or element. In my oven, this is the next-to-top position.
- On the stove, in a small (6-8″) skillet or omelette pan over medium-high heat, saute the onion in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent.
- Add the potatoes, parsley flakes, seasoned salt, black pepper, and paprika, and continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown.
- Mix the eggs and cheese together, then pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pan. Shake and tip the pan to distribute evenly, as if making a frittata, and slide the pan under the broiler.
- While the eggs are under the broiler, lightly toast the sourdough bread.
- Cook the tortilla until the eggs begin to puff up and the bits of onion and potato that are poking above the eggs begin to darken.
- Remove the tortilla from the pan, slice into two or more pieces, and stack on the toasted sourdough bread.
