Long ago, in a land far away, a young college student visited a tiny bar in León, Spain and was introduced to her first tapas. Like all fairy tales, it was love at first sight (or taste as the case may be). And they lived happily ever after for the rest of their days.

Oh yes, I love tapas. They are savory bites which are shareable and go perfectly with a glass of Rioja on a warm summer evening. There are tons of varieties of classic Spanish tapas, from croquetas (crispy bites with a soft center of ham and cheese), jamon y melon (cured ham wrapped around sweet cantaloupe), to gambas al ajillo (shrimp sauteed with garlic). My personal favorite is tortilla Española - a thick omelet with potatoes and onions bound with eggs.

I have served Tortilla Española at all types of gatherings from wine & cheese parties to barbecues. Not only is this dish straightforward and simple to make, but because it is delicious at any temperature, you can keep the dish out for the entire party.

So, the next time you want a fairy tale of your own, consider throwing together a tortilla Española. Let's begin.

After gathering your ingredients (and donning an apron for protection), peel the potatoes and thinly slice them to 1/8" using a mandoline. Similarly, peel and halve the onions then thinly slice. Set the vegetables aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat up oil over medium-high heat. Then add the potatoes and onions, tossing gently until coated evenly. Pan fry for about 10 minutes until the potatoes just start to soften and crisp up on the edges. Don't forget to taste and season with coarse sea salt as desired.

While the vegetables cook, beat eggs in a medium bowl and add a dash of salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Slowly add the egg mixture to the potatoes and let cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes until edges are crispy and bottom is golden brown.

Now for the tricky part. Flip the tortilla!

The quickest (and safest) way to do this is to use a large plate and invert the entire pan. Then slide the tortilla back into it, bottom side up.

Cook the tortilla for an additional 5-10 minutes until the center is set.

Slide the tortilla onto a serving platter and cut into individual portions. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Tortilla Española

Ingredients

• 5 medium sized Idaho potatoes, peeled
• 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 8 large eggs
• Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes and thinly slice to 1/8" thick using a mandoline. Clean the onions, cut in half and thinly slice.
2. Heat oil in a 10" nonstick skillet and add the potatoes and onions, mixing well. Fry vegetables over medium-high heat until potatoes and onions have just started to soften and edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, dash of salt and pepper.
4. Slowly add the eggs to the skillet and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until edges are set and bottom is golden brown. Shake skillet to ensure the tortilla is freely mobile and invert onto a large platter. Slide back into skillet bottom side up and continue to cook 5-10 minutes until center is set.
5. Slide tortilla onto a serving platter and cut into individual portions. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook time: 35 mins.
Total time: 45 mins.