Hotel management college teaches you dishes from everywhere. French stocks, Italian pasta, Japanese tempura. And somewhere in the middle of all of that — a Spanish omelette. Tortilla española.
I remember being surprised by how simple it was. Potatoes, eggs, onions, olive oil. That was the whole dish. No sauce, no garnish, no technique that required years to learn. Just patience with the pan and the confidence to flip it.
I made it at home shortly after learning it in class. For my brother Rishi. He was skeptical — he usually was about anything that wasn't his standard order. But this one worked. The potatoes were soft inside, the eggs just set, the whole thing holding together when you cut into it. He didn't say much. He just had a second piece, which for Rishi is the highest compliment.
Over time I started adding to it. Mushrooms, sautéed first so they don't release water into the eggs. Bell peppers for colour. Onions caramelised until sweet. The potatoes always last, layered in after everything else is ready. It became my version of the dish — still a tortilla española at its core, but with a few more things going on.
It works for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It reheats well. It costs almost nothing to make. For a bachelor, it is close to a perfect dish.
The recipe
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 6 eggs
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sauté the mushrooms. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until they release their water and it evaporates — about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Remove and keep aside.
- Cook the onion and pepper. In the same pan, add another tbsp of oil. Sauté onions and bell peppers together until soft and onions are slightly golden — about 8 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
- Cook the potatoes slowly. Add remaining oil to the pan. Add sliced potatoes in layers, season with salt, and cook on low-medium heat, turning occasionally, until soft and just beginning to colour — about 12 minutes. Do not rush this step.
- Combine the vegetables. Add the sautéed mushrooms, onions, and peppers back over the potatoes. Mix gently.
- Pour in the eggs. Beat the eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the vegetables in the pan.
- Cook the first side. Cook on low heat for 5–7 minutes until the bottom is set and golden. The top will still look slightly wet.
- The flip. Place a large plate face-down over the pan. In one confident motion, flip the pan so the omelette lands on the plate. Slide it back into the pan, uncooked side down. Cook for another 4–5 minutes.
- Rest and serve. Slide onto a plate. Rest for 2 minutes before cutting. Serve in wedges.
The tortilla española reheats well the next day, cold or warmed in a pan. It is better the second day in the way that all potato dishes are better the second day — the starch settles, the flavours come together, and the thing that was good the night before becomes the thing you are glad you made extra of.