A Simpler (No Flip!) Spanish Tortilla With an Even Simpler Aioli

This lightly edited excerpt and not-at-all edited recipe come from Jessica Battilana's cookbook Repertoire, out April 3 and available for pre-order (Little, Brown and Company, New York).

Spanish tortillas feature my desert-island duo—eggs and potatoes. They can be served warm or cold, and it’s a nice vehicle for a generous slather of aioli. Most recipes for tortillas suggest that you flip it midway through cooking—indeed, traditionalists will tell you that this step is part of what makes a tortilla a tortilla. But I’ve always found that step to be sort of high stakes and messy (as in, I’ve flipped one right onto the burner of the stove; the smell of charred egg haunting me for days), and the resulting tortilla is no better than the one I make using a different method.

When I make a tortilla, I cook it until it’s set on the bottom, then pop it under the broiler to brown and set the top. No flipping required. It may not be traditional, but you won’t care about tradition if your tortilla ends up on the floor, right? My nouveau technique requires you to use a pan that can go from stovetop to broiler.

Now, for aioli: If you’re too pressed for time to do it, there’s no shame in gussying up some store-bought mayonnaise. I was raised in the church of Hellmann’s (called Best Foods out west), so that’s what I prefer. I enhance it with a squeeze of lemon juice and garlic paste (garlic pounded with a pinch of salt) to taste. You can add chopped herbs if you like, or some pesto, or a spoonful of harissa.

P.S. Leftover tortilla wedges make a great sandwich filling.

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Cheater’s Tortilla Española

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Ingredients

1	pound Yukon Gold potatoes
1	cup extra-virgin olive oil
1	small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
10	eggs
	Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
	Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for serving

1	pound Yukon Gold potatoes
1	cup extra-virgin olive oil
1	small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

10	eggs
	Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
	Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for serving

Tell us about the tortillas in your life, in the comments.