What's For Dinner Wednesday: Spanish Tortilla

Happy Halloween!  My apologies: This post has absolutely nothing to do with the holiday.

I feel like I have been posting a lot of vegetarian recipes lately.  I'm not a vegetarian, although my taste does run on the more semi-vegetarian side (I don't eat a ton of meat, but when I do it is mostly poultry and seafood).  Yes, it's a real thing.  I promise.  And it's mostly a matter of personal preference, but also for health reasons too.  That said, I do think that fall is a great time to serve vegetarian entrees because you can work with heartier ingredients like squash or sweet potatoes and hardly miss the meat.  However, with my husband being a Texas man we do have to work red meat into our dinner rotation, so I usually try to do that once a week and with some kind of lean steak or with bison (which is pricey, but super lean).

But, I digress.  Tonight's recipe is still vegetarian, but since eggs are the star of the show it is certainly not lacking in protein and is filling enough to serve as a main course.  Back when I studied abroad in Florence, my professor was from Spain and one night she and her fellow professors threw a cocktail party (drinking with faculty is not uncommon in study abroad programs) and she cooked traditional Spanish tortillas for us.  You may have had these at a tapas restaurant before (and if not, you should try them), but it's a really delicious take on an omelet with the potatoes baked right in.  They can be served hot or cold, with a number of different ingredients (veggies, spices, cheese, and meat too-- bacon or sausauge would be delicious in this recipe) and cut into little bites as appetizers (which is how my professor served them) or in pie-style slices as an entree.  A tortilla is perfectly complemented by a a simple side of mixed greens.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup red potatoes, pre-boiled and diced
• 7 large eggs
• 2 Tbs. milk
• 1 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup Manchego cheese, shredded
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat oil in a medium cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook for 2 additional minutes.  Remove from heat.

Whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl until combined. Gently stir in thyme, parsley, paprika, cheese, salt, and pepper.  Using a spatula, move the vegetables and potatoes around in the skillet so that they are distributed evenly around the pan.  Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the skillet and bake for about 15 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Remove the tortilla from the oven and gently run a spatula around the edges to loosen. Invert a large plate over the pan and turn the tortilla out on the plate. Slide the tortilla back into the pan and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Slice and serve warm or cold.