Tortilla de patatas and You Tube

Let me say that I'm, for once, thankful for You Tube.

Caleb brought home an assignment for Spanish Class - to make Tortilla de patatas or Spanish omelette. After reading through the recipe, it didn't seem really clear so we went the only source we could think of - Google, which directed us to You Tube . After watching the video, which we totally did NOT understand, as it was in Spanish, the visual presentation was what we needed. With the recipe in hand we somewhat confidently started to make a double recipe, only to discover we were 3 eggs short... *sigh* Third trip to the grocery store... * Important note, son should read all directions before starting. Peeling potatoes AFTER they have been sliced, is difficult and time consuming!

Mind you, that it also helps to cook with someone with a sense of humor. So while we were waiting for the dish to finish so we could flip Caleb found the toy handcuffs that Connor had purchased earlier in the day... Handcuffs and cooking do not mix!

When made correctly, the spanish tortilla is a delicious half-inch thick "cake" of fried potatoes mixed with fried eggs and onions. After cooking, the tortilla can be cut into pizza-like triangles to serve 4-6 people, or cut into squares to give a whole group a bite-sized toothpick sample.

1 cup olive oil four large potatos (peel and cut into small pieces about 2mm thick) salt to taste one large onion, thinly sliced (we diced them) four large eggs.

Some people add thin slices of red pepper together with the onion. He was given a recipe, but did we follow it? No! We put the first layer of potatoes on, let them cook a little, added another layer of potatoes and let them cook. We then we mixed the eggs with the diced onions and poured this on top of the cooking potatoes. We then let this cook and waited. Following the video, we took a large dinner plate, after draining the remaining oil into a cup, put the plate on top of the skillet and flipped it very quickly. Wahlaaa! We now had the dish on the plate! Then we added some of the oil back into the skillet and slid the concontion back into the skillet to cook the other side. We then slid it to a cutting board, cut it into small square, and put them into containers...

The verdict: Who knows if anyone ate them, but they actually smelled pretty good. The kids were not impressed with them. If I could have, I would have sampled some. We had a great time cooking them, and maybe Food Network could use a chef with some humorous antics!

Their Recipe:

Heat the oil in a 9-inch skillet, add potato pieces, one slice at a time so that they don't stick. Alternate layers of potato and onion. COOK slowly, medium flame. DO NOT FRY!! Turn occasionally until potatoes are tender, but NOT brown. They must be loose, not "in a cake". Beat eggs in a large bowl with a fork. Salt to taste. Drain potatoes. Add potatoes to beaten eggs, pressing them so that eggs cover them completely. Let sit for 15 minutes. Heat 2 tbsps of the oil in large skillet. Add potato-egg mixture, spreading quickly. Lower the heat to medium-high. Shake pan to prevent sticking (crucial step!!) When potatoes start to brown, put a plate on top skillet and flip to cook other side, adding another tbsp of oil. Brown on the other side. Can flip three or four times for better cooking.