Sometimes you just want something different for breakfast. Or lunch. I love a good frittata, made with eggs and just about anything else you want to put in it. A great alternative, similar to a frittata, but with a little more substance is a Spanish omelet. It’s still fairly light, but warm and buttery and rich with potatoes, the ultimate comfort food. 

One of my favorite memories was a late summer evening meal on the beach with good friends. She served a Spanish omelet and fresh fruit salad and then followed it with Romeo y Julieta (cream cheese and guava paste on crisp crackers). Delicious food, good Spanish wine and dear friends.  Watching the sunset over the lake was an experience I’ll never forget. 

Spanish omelet or tortilla Espanola

Called a tortilla in Spanish cooking, the classic recipe is made with potatoes, onions and eggs. But you can add anything your heart desires to the recipe. 

My riff on the classic

1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly

1 lb red potatoes, not peeled, sliced thinly

3 eggs

½ c. sliced mushrooms

½ c. sliced red sweet peppers

½ c. sliced swiss chard

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Use an 8” cast iron pan if you have one. Otherwise, any stovetop-to-oven pan. You can also use a round cake or stoneware pan but you will need to vary the cooking slightly since you can’t use these on the stovetop. 

Cook potatoes in salted water, drain and cool. 

Saute onion until soft in a splash of olive oil. Add mushrooms, peppers and chard and saute briefly until tender. Cool slightly. 

Whisk eggs and 1 t. Salt. Add potatoes and vegetables and toss until coated with eggs. 

Add a bit more oil to the pan, pour in the egg and vegetable mix, and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Put in the oven for 20 minutes until eggs are set. 

Remove from the oven and flip upside down on a plate. Serve in wedges, hot, room temperature or cold.