Spanish Tortilla

When I was sixteen I spent 5 months in a host family in Barcelona, Spain. My host parents were divorced, and I spent every other weekend at the father's house. He lived outside of Barcelona, in a small town. I enjoyed visiting him. We often went to small restaurants with his new wife and their daughter. I remember going to a place in the woods, were Catalonian specialties were served. The leech that was roaster in the fire. It was eaten in a very special manner that I don't remember well.

This spring I went to Barcelona with my boyfriend. The city has not changed much. And what is just as good as when I lived there is the "Pa amb tomàquet". My host mother used to make this for me. Either plain or instead of butter in a sandwich, with Jamon or cheese. But as I found out now, the sandwich is even better filled with tortilla. It never occurred to me to put a tortilla in a sandwich, but the crispy bread and the soft tortilla go so well together. The onion in the tortilla, the garlic on the bread, and the juice of the tomatoes, they all add so much to the simple flavors of potatoes and eggs.
I haven't had a tortilla bocadillo (sandwich) since. The truth is, that, until this sunday, I never made a tortilla myself. But you should make one. Eat it plain, just as we did, or put it in a sandwich and enjoy a taste of Spain.

Spanish Tortilla
(I adapted a recipe from a German Tapas book: Die 100 besten Tapas. )
Ingredients:
1kg potatoes
3 medium onions
salt
olive oil
7-8 eggs (I used 7 big eggs (63+g), but the recipe called for 8 eggs (50g each))

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly (about 3mm, you don't want them to be transparent). Cut the onions in thin slices, they can be thinner than the potatoes. Heat a bit olive oil in a skillet, on medium heat, add the potatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the onions and salt, according to taste. Let them cook and get a bit brown, until the potatoes are done. Put them in a bowl, wash your skillet (or use an other one) and heat a bit of olive oil on medium heat. Combine the eggs in a seperate bowl, add them to the potatoes and mix it all well. Pour the mixture into the skillet and turn the heat down. Put a lid on the skillet and leave it alone until the eggs are solid on the top. Turn the tortilla using a plate or the lid of the skillet, add a bit olive oil to the skillet and put the tortilla gently back (on the uncooked side, of course). Let that cook for another 10 minutes or so.
You can serve your tortilla warm or cold, I usually ate it cold or at room temperature.

A few notes: I had help turning the tortilla. You may want someone assisting. Also, you really have to be patient and cook your tortilla on low heat, or else you risk a black tortilla on one side that is still runny on the other.
This said, it was actually really easy to make, and it probably was the first thing gone on the tapas buffet we prepared for my mother's birthday. More on that soon...