Spanish Omelette

 Spanish omelette is traditionally a 'peasant food' in Spain, so I thought what better a reflection of my peasant's salary than this to start off my blog. As would be expected from peasant food, it's super cheap to rustle up, but it really is the simplicity of the flavours that makes this so tasty. You're not missing out here by not having lots of different and expensive ingredients.   

Now I'm sure this is a very unauthentic, distant relation to what can truly be called a Spanish omelette, but Dios mío is it delicious. I was in a bit of a rush when making this, and so, contrary to my instructions, I didn't allow the omelette to cool down before eating, and it was still tasty. But, oh, it was nothing on the deliciousness the left-overs turned out to be after a night in the fridge. So this is definitely a recipe that you can happily eat a second portion of the next day - and I LOVE a meal that lasts 2 days.

What you can swap or miss out:

• New potatoes can be swapped for a baking potato, but make sure you peel and slice them to a similar size a new potato would be.
• Herbs - you don't have to use these at all, but I think it adds a bit more flavour to this very basic dish. I used basil simply because I have some growing at my flat. You could also use parsley if you have it, or dried herbs (either mixed or oregano would be my choice, but whatever you like).

To serve:

• I served mine with a simple rocket salad, but this would also work great with any greens or some roasted peppers.
• If you want to impress, I would also highly recommend serving this with a side dish of grated courgette, mixed with a quarter of a finely chopped red chili, dressed in lemon juice and a sprinkle of olive oil. I will eventually blog about this side dish, as it is a truly amazing salad which is cheap to make and really adds a zing to a basic dish like this.

On to the recipe...

Serves: 2

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

I used an approx. 22cm diameter, 5cm deep frying pan. If your pan is wider the omelette wont take as long to cook.

Ingredients:

200g(ish) New potatoes (or a  baking potato if that's what you have) - 50p

4 Eggs - £1.40

1 Onion - 10p

1 tbsp Oil (whatever oil you have, I used olive oil) 5p

Herbs (optional) - either a small handful of fresh basil or parsley, or a sprinkle of dried oregano or mixed herbs - basically whatever you have.

To serve:

Rocket leaves (£1), or whatever salad your heart desires.

Total cost (including salad): £3.05
Cost per portion: £1.53  

Recipe:

1) To start, preheat the grill and boil a kettle of water. Cut the potatoes into 1cm thick slices, tip in a saucepan and cover with the boiled water. Simmer for about 8 minutes, or until cooked through.

2) While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in the frying pan that you will be using for the omelette. Dice the onion and tip into the frying pan, gently frying.

3) Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain and tip into the frying pan with the onion. Turn the heat up a little so that you get a nice golden colour on the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

4) In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. If using fresh herbs, chop finely. Add the herbs to the eggs.

5) Tip the potato and onion mixture into the eggs, give them a stir and then transfer back into the hot frying pan. Cook the omelette on a low heat until the top is just firm, making sure not to burn the bottom. Once firm, pop the frying pan under the grill (making sure not to melt the handle) until the top of the omelette has a nice golden colour.

6) Transfer to a plate and leave to cool. This is best served cold or at room temperature.

Enjoy! SG x