Living at Bowdoin, home of the country's best dining halls, an apartment kitchen might seem superfluous. Well-utilized, however, a kitchen can provide freedom, fun and food, three staples of college life.
To all who know the Zen-like joys of basting a chicken or beating egg whites slowly and steadily until the magical moment they transform into meringue, cooking can be a cathartic and enjoyable experience. Whether it is mac and cheese or chocolate éclairs, there is something exciting about knowing that the food you are eating is the product of your own time and energy.
The aim of this column is to provide simple recipes that can be made in the average apartment kitchen on those days when you feel like eating a home-cooked meal, want to impress someone, or just have a little extra time on your hands.
This week's recipe is a tortilla española perfect for Sunday brunch. It requires very simple ingredients and does not take especially long to make.
What it does require, though, is a pan that can go in the oven, so you are going to need something cast-iron or anything that doesn't have plastic handles. If you don't have one, ask a friend. Someone you know probably has some Le Creuset or Wagner cookware lying around their room. Borrow it. Use it. Return it without washing it.
Ingredients:
One pound fingerling potatoes
1/2 yellow onion
Six eggs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Step One:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel and slice the potatoes. Keep the slices thin, but thick enough that they still have a starchy, rather than crisp, texture when cooked, approximately 1/8 of an inch thick. Similarly, the onion, when cut, should be in small pieces, but should still be large enough that it provides a slight bite and texture to the tortilla. Keep the onion pieces in a separate pile from the potato slices.
Step Two:
Pour 1/3 cup of olive oil into your pan. Preferably, use a heavy, cast-iron skillet, about eight to 10 inches in diameter. Turn the heat on high and wait for the oil to heat up slightly. After that, place your potato slices into the pan. Be careful of the oil; if you leave it on the heat for too long, it can start to splatter and those burns really sting.
Cook the potatoes for five to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Turn them often. They should still be pleasantly chewy, but cooked all the way through at this stage. Take the potatoes out of the pan, and place them aside.
Step Three:
Put the sliced onions in the pan, along with the rest of the olive oil. Cook them until they are translucent, about five minutes. Then place the potatoes back into the pan with the onions and cook (on medium heat) for about five minutes.
Step Four:
Crack and beat the eggs. Keeping the heat on medium, pour the eggs over the potatoes and onions, but do not mix them. You will want to keep a slick of oil on the bottom so that the tortilla will slide out easily later.
Let this cook on high, without stirring, until the edges begin to firm after about two minutes. Slide into the oven, and cook for about 10 minutes, checking often toward the end. When done, the tortilla should be firm throughout and crisped on top.
Step Five:
Eat! Serve it right from the pan or slide it onto a plate with a rubber spatula. This tortilla can serve up to six people, but if you and your guests are hungry, I would say three to four is more realistic. The Spanish eat this dish without adornment, but being a huge sriracha fan, I think a little squirt of this chili sauce is a pleasant complement to the eggs.
If you have leftovers, eat them on a piece of crusty bread cut lengthwise. This is called a boccadillo and makes for a deliciously satisfying sandwich.
This column is loosely adapted from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything."