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Ask an Artist: Mikel Jaso's Tortilla

By Peggy Roalf   Wednesday December 17, 2014

The DART Artist Q&A, which has been running for over a year and a half, currently includes the question, “What would you have for your last supper?” 

Mikel Jaso, an artist living in Barcelona, recently replied, “My mother’s Spanish omelette.” Intrigued, I asked for the recipe and made it last Sunday. No wonder it’s Mikel's choice for the last tasty morsel on his last day on Earth! Find out for yourself:

Mikel Jaso’s Spanish Omelette

For 4 people

– 4-medium potatoes, sliced ¼” thick and cut into 1” pieces

– 1 onion, thinly sliced [optional]

– 8 large eggs, beaten with salt to taste

– 1/2 cup or more of olive oil + a little bit of love (or plenty of it)

Heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet with plenty of olive oil inside [about ½ cup or more, enough to cover the potatoes]. The potatoes have to bathe in the olive oil like it was a pool. They will have a great time there. You can save this oil and use it again for frying eggs, potatoes and other things. We Spaniards love to eat fried stuff, however in a good virgin olive oil.


Mikel Jaso, Spanish omelette discovery


When the oil is pretty hot, add potatoes and onion and fry them. Later on you'll maybe have to reduce heat a little bit in order to prevent potatoes from burning. You'll see it. You'll have to move potatoes from time to time in the pan.

When potatoes are well cooked [but not falling apart], take them out of the pan and drain oil.

Drain oil from the pan into a jar, keeping enough to cover the bottom of the pan, but just a little. Keep the pan hot.

Put potatoes into the beaten eggs, stir them and put the mixture back into the pan.

When the bottom part of the omelette is firm, you have to turn it over with the help of a plate or lid. This is a very important and dangerous (for the omelette) moment, and it could perfectly be accompanied by a drum roll.

Slide it back into the pan with the cooked side up.

Cook the omelette a little bit more, until the bottom is set, and remove from pan to a warm serving plate.

And that's all folks! ¡Que aproveche!

With a little bit of practice you'll find your own ways of doing it to your taste.

It’s good any time of day. You can serve it hot or room temperature, by itself or with some Jamon Serrano, cheese and olives.

Here’s a photo of my Spanish omelette; you have to try this!--PR


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