American

Tortilla Española With Blistered Cherry Tomato Romesco

March  9, 2022
4
12 Ratings
Photo by Ty Mecham. Food stylist: Anna Billingskog. Prop stylist: Alya Hameedi.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Serves 4
What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Tortilla Española With Blistered Cherry Tomato Romesco
Ingredients
  • 1 medium white onion, very thinly sliced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, unpeeled and very thinly sliced
  • 8 large eggs, beaten to blend
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 6 cloves garlic, skin-on
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika), to taste
  • Chopped parsley, Manchego slivers, crusty bread, and olives (for serving)
Directions
  1. Toss onion and bell pepper in a large bowl with 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and ½ cup oil until completely coated. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook onion mixture, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are very tender but have not taken on any color and all of the juices have evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, toss potatoes in the same large bowl you used for the onion and bell peppers (no need to clean it out) and toss with remaining ½ cup oil, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper until completely coated. When onion and bell peppers are tender, add to potatoes and toss until completely combined. Return to same skillet and continue to cook on medium low heat, covered, turning potatoes over (about every 8 minutes), using a flexible silicone spatula to gently lift potatoes from the bottom and flip to cook the other side. Continue cooking until potatoes are tender but are still holding their shape, about 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully pour out about 1/3 cup oil into a heatproof bowl. Reserve for romesco.
  3. Slowly pour eggs over top, using the spatula to lift potatoes to allow eggs to coat all of the vegetables. Gently shake pan, allowing the egg mixture to get into all of the nooks and crannies. Cover and cook on medium low until eggs are completely set, occasionally checking and shaking pan, until completely cooked through, about 15 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook for 1 minute, remove from heat and shake pan to release the eggs from the pan and let sit, covered until ready to serve. It tastes best after a 15 minute rest, but is also great at room temperature.
  4. Meanwhile, make the romesco. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place tomatoes and garlic on it. Roast in the oven until tomatoes are blistered and lightly charred in spots and garlic is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Add almonds to tray and continue to roast until nuts are browned and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes more. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Remove and discard garlic skin.
  5. Transfer tomatoes, garlic and almonds to a food processor or mortar and pestle and pulse or grind until a semi-smooth paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar, 3 tablespoons reserved potato oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pimentón until completely combined. Taste and season with additional salt, vinegar, and pimentón if necessary.
  6. For serving, flip tortilla onto a serving platter or cutting board. Sprinkle with parsley and serve slices with romesco, Manchego, olives, and crusty bread.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Medora Van Denburgh
    Medora Van Denburgh
  • Emma
    Emma
  • Mavalos
    Mavalos
  • Carolie Hancock
    Carolie Hancock
Rick Martinez

Recipe by: Rick Martinez

Rick Martinez is currently living his dream—cooking, eating and enjoying the Mexican Pacific coast in Mazatlán. He is finishing his first cookbook, Under the Papaya Tree, food from the seven regions of Mexico and loved traveling the country so much, he decided to buy a house on the beach. He is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit, New York Times and hosts live, weekly cooking classes for Food Network Kitchens. Earlier this year, he was nominated for a James Beard Award for “How to win the Cookie Swap” in Bon Appétit’s holiday issue.

8 Reviews

Emma March 26, 2023
This was fine. I'm not convinced the amount of oil was necessary but I always follow a recipe to the T at the beginning. My husband said he wouldn't want to eat it again so there's that. I will say it did taste better on day 2 but will keep hunting for better tortilla recipes.

I am a bit disappointed at the errors in the recipe from a year ago that haven't been fixed. In the video, Rick uses 2 tsp. pimenton but the recipe calls for tablespoons still. Also, I found the recipe writing to be frustrating and not very well organized for cooks. Thankfully, I watched the video first so these directions were less puzzling.
 
Mavalos July 8, 2022
As others have said it did seem like a lot of oil but it worked. I reduced the salt content by one teaspoon. I probably didn’t use the thinnest mandolin setting for the potato’s which I will do next time. The pan got a little full and the bottom got slightly over cooked but it tasted great. Next time I will get it right. The romesco sauce was really tasty. We enjoyed this meal.
 
Carolie H. May 1, 2022
It actually worked quite well. It seemed like a lot of oil, but in fact it worked. I didn't have raw almonds so used some sliced which was ok. I really like this recipe.

 
Medora V. April 22, 2022
Well, thank you for this trip down Memory Lane. In the late 60s I was on an overnight train from Madrid to Malaga, seated in a compartment with seven other people, none of whom spoke English. I must have assumed there would be a dining car on the train (there wasn't), because by Spanish suppertime (ten or eleven at night) my stomach was growling hopelessly. Then the fellow across from me reached into the overhead and brought down a large package wrapped up in greasy newspaper and tied with twine. He then produced a sizeable knife from somewhere on his person, cut the twine, and unwrapped FOOD! He sliced up what turned out to be a wonderful frittata-type substance and passed pieces around to everyone in the compartment. They say that newspaper ink used to be the secret ingredient in British fish & chips; it may well be what made my first Spanish tortilla one of my most memorable meals. Then again, it might just have been hunger and the generosity of a stranger.

I'll be trying out your recipe soon, with Just Egg, since I've been vegan for a long time. I've never found a substitute for Manchego, but the meal will be just as tasty seasoned with memory.
 
Barbara B. March 26, 2022
Loved, loved the recipe with the exception of the salt amount. I'd cut all salt by 1/2 and add when you are eating it. One other thing is the Romesco sauce calls for 1-2 TBS of smoked paprika in the ingredient list but the directions say 1 teas. smoked paprika. I almost caught it and used 1 TBS which was plenty! Cooked beautifully in non stick skillet! Will serve to friends1
 
Beverlyn M. March 15, 2022
Excellent recipe, helpful video and such a special meal. I used a cast iron skillet and the tortilla was a bit burned, next time I’ll skip the last blast of heat. With a old beer, the tortilla is just like being in a tapas bar in Madrid. Thanks Rick!
 
Joan S. March 14, 2022
Made this recipe for supper tonight (except for the Tomato Romesco and that was because I didn't have the tomatoes). It was very good and my husband loved it! Thank you for the video that really helped.
 
Sally A. March 13, 2022
too salty, too oily, and the peppers burned before the potatoes were cooked