Sometimes you stock up on eggs because the local big box retailer-slash-grocery store is selling 60 eggs for $4.75. And sometimes you find yourself sheltering in place with your family and about three dozen eggs as you slowly eat your way through scrambled egg after scrambled egg.
The good thing is that eggs are versatile and easy to work with, and if you’re starting to get tired of scrambled eggs there are plenty of options.
One of my favorites is tortilla de papas, a potato omelette style dish that originates from Spain. It’s a dish my parents would make when I was growing up, and one I relied on when I first got married and money was tight. The main ingredients are potatoes, eggs and onion, although the onion can be left out if, like me, you forgot to buy some before you began your self-isolation.
Whenever I’ve made this in the past I have paired it with a roasted red pepper sauce. I do not have roasted red peppers. I do not have any bell peppers. I do, however, have poblano peppers, so instead I made a provolone and poblano cheese sauce. To make the sauce I started with a roux, then slowly added a half cup of milk, then two poblano peppers I had blended with a tomato. I finished it off with a few slices of provolone cheese.
The secret to a fluffy and light tortilla de papas is to separate the egg whites from the yolks, then blend the whites until you get soft peaks before slowly adding back in the yolks one by one. When you add your egg mixture to cooked potatoes the eggs remain fluffy and the end product is light and airy.
Tortilla de papas with a creamy poblano sauce
4 eggs
3 medium potatoes
1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic
2 poblano peppers
1 roma tomato
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup of milk
2 slices of prepackaged provolone
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
For the poblano cream sauce
Remove stem and seeds from poblano peppers, then cut in large chunks. Cut tomato in large chunks. Add tomato and peppers to blender.
Blend, then set aside.
In a small saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and begin to whisk until flour and butter are completely incorporated. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk mixture.
After milk is incorporated slowly add in poblano and tomato mixture. Continue to whisk until fully incorporated.
Tear off small chunks of provolone and slowly mix them into sauce.
For the tortilla de papas
Peel and thinly slice potatoes. Set aside and freeze peels for later use, or discard. Heat a nonstick frying pan to medium heat and add potatoes and garlic. Cover and let cook, moving the potatoes around occasionally to evenly cook.
Crack four eggs and separate whites from yolks. Using a hand mixer, begin to whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Slowly add in yolks one at a time until fully incorporated.
Add egg mixture to potatoes and cover with lid. Let cook until bottom is set, then carefully flip the tortilla so that the top can cook.
Once eggs are set through, remove from heat.
Tortilla can be cut into four to six slices. Serve with poblano cream sauce.
Audria Ruscitti can be reached at aruscitti@norcaldesigncenter.com.