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Valley Bounty: Spanish Omelet

I’ve become quite enamored recently with Spanish omelets—traditionally they feature just three main ingredients (eggs, potatoes, and onion), all of which are easily available from local farms even in winter. Though it’s called an “omelet” in English, a Spanish omelet more closely resembles what we Americans might be used to calling a frittata, in that it is thick, unfolded, and large enough to be shared. The Spanish names, “tortilla Española” or “tortilla de patata”, may also be slightly confusing to English-speakers used to thinking of a tortilla as the wheat or corn exterior of a taco, though the literal translation of the Spanish word “tortilla” is simply “little cake”.

Sautee three thinly-sliced potatoes and an onion in olive oil over medium heat until they begin to caramelize, then remove them to a separate bowl and mix with 8 to 10 eggs. After fifteen minutes, return everything to the pan and cook over medium heat until the egg begins to set. The coup de grâce: place a large plate over the top of your skillet and (carefully!) flip the whole thing over, so the top of your omelet is now face-down on the plate. Slide the now-inverted omelet back in to the pan to finish cooking.

Valley Bounty is written by Brian Snell of CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture)