Spanish Tortilla with Winter Greens

The McGoldrick Park Winter Market started at the end of last month! Its now-indoor location is Lutheran Church of the Messiah, at 129 Russell Street. The market will also be open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on February 21st and March 20th.

Its produce-focused vendors are D&J Farm, Garden of Eve Farm and Jersey Farm Produce. I definitely recommend checking out the Down to Earth Markets website if you wanna see what’s fresh and likely available from these farms ahead of time! Or else just feel safe knowing this is a totally delicious recipe that is totally adaptable to pretty much whatever fresh veg you find.

Recipe

12 eggs*
2 large medium-to-low starch potatoes
1 large onion, diced
2+ cloves garlic
3 cups washed & roughly chopped market greens of choice
2 bell peppers, diced (see directions)
1/4 cup heavy cream OR sour cream
2 tbsp dried or fresh chives, minced
smoked paprika
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
olive oil
1/2+ cup shredded cheese of choice (optional)

Serves 8

TIP: To see step-by-step photos of how to chop an onion without crying, check out my Instagram!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prep your potatoes by peeling them, then dicing them into cubes. Try to make them roughly the same size so they cook evenly. (An easier way to cube potatoes is to first cut little slices off each long side, so you’re working with more of a rectangular prism shape. Then you can slice longways so it falls into thick potato sticks, then halve those, and so on.)

3. As you’re prepping, place the potato cubes into a medium-sized pot filled halfway with cold water.

4. Bring the pot of potatoes to a boil and then adjust flame so the pot is just simmering. (Don’t wander from the stove during this step! There’s no across-the-board cooking time here because it depends on your pot size, cube size and flame strength on your particular stove. Because they’re going to cook more in the oven, you want to cook the potatoes until they are JUST tender. Test this by sliding a fork into a cube or two — if it slides in with barely-but-some resistance, you’re ready!)

5. When potatoes are done, strain them into a colander in the sink and then run some cold water over them so they stop cooking.

6. Take your biggest, deepest frying pan and drizzle in some olive oil. Add the diced onion and sauté over a medium-low flame about 5 minutes.

7. Add minced garlic to the pan, as well as a pinch of both salt and pepper. Stir. Cook over a low flame until mix has become translucent and soft, about 10 minutes.

8. Remove the onions and garlic to a bowl and set aside.

9. Add a bit more olive oil to the pan, then toss in your diced bell peppers (if using- obviously not seasonal right now, but can add a nice bit of sweetness). The peppers should be chopped the same-ish size as the potatoes. The easiest way to do this is to cut out the stem, cut the pepper in half, pull out the white pith, and then cut the pepper into strips. Then hold the strips together with your non-knife hand and slice them the other direction, so you get a bunch of little squares.

10. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the pan. Stir.

11. Cook the peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Then put them in a new bowl and set aside.

12. Wilt whatever greens you’ve chosen over a medium-high flame for a few minutes, adding more olive oil to the pan if needed. Salt and pepper, then stir.

13. Put greens in another new bowl.

14. Carefully wash your pan with some hot water and soap, then get ready to use it again!

15. Either use a paper towel to wipe a scant amount of olive oil all over the insides of the pan, or just liberally apply some cooking oil spray.

16. In a mixing bowl, crack in the 12 eggs. I recommend organic eggs if possible, as the taste really does make a difference in this recipe.

TIP: If some eggshell escapes into the mixing bowl, use an empty eggshell half to capture it. While they’re always running from fingers, pieces of shell are attracted to other pieces of shell, so you’ll easily scoop it up.

17. Then add:

• pinch salt
• pinch pepper
• minced chives
• pinch or two of red pepper flakes
• 2 pinches smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream OR sour cream

Don’t be shy about following the salting instructions in this recipe; if you undersalt, the tortilla can turn out bland. Though, if that’s the case, you could also save it by adding a dollop of sriracha per serving …

18. Whip until the egg mix is full of little bubbles! This means you’ve whipped in a good deal of air and the final product will be fluffier. To save your wrist, use an immersion blender.

19. Put your big pan back over a medium flame.

20. Pour in enough egg mix to JUST cover the bottom.

21. Then use your fingers to evenly spread out the potato cubes on top of the egg.

22. Add your pepper, greens and the onion mix. I like to quickly do it in distinct layers so each ingredient is well-distributed, but you do you.

23. Carefully pour in the remaining egg mix.

24. Let the pan sit on the stove for a minute, just to let the sides of the egg set. Then put it into the oven.

25. Bake 40 minutes, then use an oven mitt to grab the handle and shake the pan around. If the egg in the middle is still jiggly, it’s not done.

26. Bake up to another 10 minutes, doing the shake test every few minutes. Once the tortilla is clearly set but not yet browned on top, I like to add 1/2 cup (or more honestly, up to 2 cups) shredded cheese. I usually use those pre-bagged “Mexican cheese” mixes, but almost anything works.

27. When the cheese has melted, remove the pan from the oven. I like to cover the pan handle with an oven mitt so I remember it’s hot.

28. Let the pan sit a few minutes. Then in one fast, fluid motion, upend it closely over a big platter or cutting board. It should fall out in one piece.

29. Carefully slice up the tortilla like a pie, using a serrated knife.

This tortilla is excellent at any temperature, but I find room temperature or a bit heated up from that is best. Enjoy it with a fresh green salad, some sliced oranges with cinnamon, or just alone with a cup of coffee in the mornings or a glass of something more relaxing at night.

Happy eating!

Claire

*I like using my biggest deep frying pan for this so there’s enough for dinner and then a few following breakfasts and lunches. But you can totally halve the pan size and reduce the number of eggs used. You just need enough of the egg mix to cover whatever veg you’ve added to the pan.