It’s been nearly a decade since my family made a trip to Spain. It was, as many family trips, an experience filled with unforgettable moments, both good and bad. I’m thinking Vacation here, but like, scaled-to-reality levels of joys and traumas.
Among my favorite memories, though, was our cooking class with Josetxo.
I learned about drinking wine to cure hangovers, how to make mayonnaise from scratch, and the joys of anchovies. I also learned how to make a tortilla.
To American ears, this is not what you’d expect. It’s like a large frittata, not a flat flour- or corn-based wrapper for tacos or burritos. It was also the simplest and most satisfactory meal I knew immediately I’d be bringing to my kitchen at home.
My only issue with it is that it’s an egg dish that requires flipping, which usually results in a kind of eggy plate. Of course, in Spain, they make matching skillets that take care of this with ease. I never sprung for one, so I do it the difficult way.
That is, until I found a frittata — the French version of the Spanish dish — that had all the Spanish flavors I was hoping for … and some greens too.
Thanks to Bon Appetit I could make this at home easier.
However, I still am no expert in using my own broiler. The recipe said to cook in the broiler for 5 minutes; it was brown after 2 and not jiggly, but cutting in to the eggy dish revealed it was not finished yet. Trial and error minutes later it was ready. Thankfully, it never got browner but it was touch and go there for a bit.
Either way, it was worth it. I got a cleaner plate but still got my fix of eggs, potatoes, and Spanish chorizo.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 c. Manchego cheese, grated
- 1 T. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 T. chives, chopped
- 4 oz. Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced (I used D’Artangnan chorizo, and 1 sausage link was 1 oz, shy but I went with it because I used extra cheese)
- ½ small onion, diced
- 6 fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch Swiss chard, ribs and stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 T. olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Heat broiler.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl, and whisk in the cheese and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
On the stove top, add the oil and cook the chorizo in a 9- to 10-inch cast iron skillet, over medium heat. After the chorizo is crisped, about 3 minutes, transfer to plate. Then, add the onion to the oiled skillet (or braiser), and season with salt, stirring often. Cook for about 1 minute, and then add the potatoes, until they are just softened, about 5 more minutes. Add the chard in batches, and cook each batch until wilted and fits in the skillet. Add salt and pepper, and mix back in the chorizo.
Pour the egg mixture on top of the sausage mix, tilting to ensure even distribution. Cook for about 2 minutes on the stove top, and then transfer to the oven and broil until the egg is cooked through, about 5 minutes. (Again, it seemed to me to be done after about 2 and then wasn’t so keep a close eye to ensure it’s not burnt but the eggs are also cooked through.)
Run a spatula around the edges to loosen, and slide on to a plate (or cut into wedges), and enjoy!
