The Original One Pot Wonder - Student/Post Furlough food: Spanish Omelette or tortilla

 "The oven won't turn off".  The words I was greeted with by my 19  year old on return from an emergency dental appointment.  The cooker, which was second hand when we moved in 18 years ago, had finally given up the ghost.  Cue about 8 hours of drama whilst we turned off the gas to the house and tried to get a gas engineer during a pandemic where over a million people are isolating in the UK alone.  Finally after an emergency call out fee of £200 we had the cooker made safe - and had a hob but no oven. We could get a new cooker but couldn't get it installed for three and a half weeks (did I mention the number of people isolating).   Now we are nearing the end of the tunnel (2 nd of August can't come soon enough), we are sick and tired of pasta and rice and need to find £700 for the callout, new cooker, installation and disposal of the old one added together; oh and the "hot zone" has to be a minimum size above the cooker or they can't install it (cue adding more tiles to extend it up the wall behind the hob and to either side which has necessitated taking down a kitchen cupboard and three shelves!  More money and a storage problem which we are kicking down the road for now). 

So, this is an ideal protein packed recipe that I often forget. It is cheap, filling, carnivore or veggie depending on what you put in it and can use up the debris left in the bottom of the veggie rack to avoid food waste and postpone that trip to the shops.  As always the basic basic version, plus ideas to jazz it up.

Spanish Omelette (serves 3-4)

1 onion, sliced

oil

300 g potatoes, cooked and cut into chunks

5 large eggs

Make sure you have a large frying pan, ideally one that fit under a grill but this is not totally necessary.

Soften the onion in the oil, add the potatoes and stir until the onions are just starting to get a little brown on the edges (not too much or they will be bitter).

Break the eggs into a bowl or mug and lightly beat together to break up the yolks.  Spread the veggies out into a thin layer and then pour in the eggs and turn down the heat.  Now watch the edge of the pan- you should see the egg mixture at the edges start to turn solid, , this will spread over the bottom of the pan, do not stir.  When it looks like only the very top is still wet then either flip to the other side (use a plate to turn it over) or if your frying pan has a heat proof handle put under a hot grill.  After about another minute the omelette is done.

Variations:

Add chopped peppers to the onions at the start of the recipe

Add sliced mushrooms

Add chopped chilli

Add chopped bacon when you add the potatoes

Add leftover roast meat or sausages (already cooked) or meat alternatives just before you add the eggs

Use tinned potatoes instead of fresh

Use leftover roasted veggies

Add garlic

Use leeks instead of onion

Add chopped chives (garlic chives are good) or use the tops from garlic or onion plants from the garden if you are growing them

Add mixed frozen veggies after the onion but before the potatoes to allow to thaw and start to heat through

Add herbs such as thyme or basil

Add chopped or sliced tomatoes (especially good for cherry tomatoes that are overripe)

Add spinach or kale to the onion

Add grated cheese to the top before putting under the grill

Serve hot or cold, on it's own or with salad