Potato & Egg Omelette

A Spanish potato and egg omelet meant to be eaten cold in wedges. Naturally gluten free, and the plate flip is explained one step at a time.

Makes

4 lunches

Hands on

35 min

Start to finish

90 min

Keeps

3 days in the fridge

• 2medium yellow potatoesYukon gold. Russets break apart in the oil and go mealy.
• 1small yellow onion, sliced thinOptional, and it is the difference between this tasting like a dish and tasting like eggs with potato in them.
• 3/4 cupolive oilYou are poaching the potatoes in it at low heat, not frying them. Most of it gets poured back off and can be used again.
• 6large eggs
• 1 teaspoonsalt

1. Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin coins, about an eighth of an inch. Thick slices stay firm in the middle no matter how long you cook them.
2. Heat the oil in an 8 or 9 inch nonstick skillet over medium low, then add the potatoes and onion. The oil should barely move. If it sizzles hard, turn it down. Browning here gives you fried potatoes, and this is not that.
3. Cook 20 minutes, turning gently every few minutes, until a slice crushes against the side of the pan with no resistance. The potatoes should be pale and soft, never crisp.
4. Beat the eggs with the salt in a large bowl. Lift the potatoes and onion out with a slotted spoon straight into the eggs and let them sit 5 minutes. Pour the oil out of the pan, keeping 1 tablespoon in it.
5. Set the pan back on medium low, pour in the eggs and potato and spread it flat. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, pulling the edges in with a spatula, until the edges are set and only the center still moves.
6. The flip. Shake the pan to confirm the omelet slides freely. Put a flat plate wider than the pan face down on top. One hand flat on the plate, the other on the handle, and turn the whole thing over in one committed motion. Lift the pan away, slide the omelet back in raw side down and tuck the edges under.
7. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until the center is set and moist rather than liquid. Slide it onto a rack and let it cool all the way before it goes near a knife.

1. Cut it into wedges only when it is completely cold. A warm one tears and the wedges lose their edges.
2. It is meant to be eaten cold or at room temperature, which is how it is eaten in Spain, so there is no thermos and no reheating in the morning.
3. Two wedges lie flat in a container with nothing to leak and no sauce, and they can be eaten with fingers, which counts for a lot at a crowded table.
4. Send it with an ice pack anyway. Cold is how it is served, not how long cooked egg and potato can sit warm in a backpack.
5. A small pot of ketchup or mayonnaise on the side helps if your child finds plain egg dull.

• The middle is raw when you cut it. It went back into the pan for too little time after the flip, or the heat was high enough to set the outside before the center caught up.
• It broke apart in the flip. The edges were still loose, or the turn was slow instead of one motion.
• The potato slices are still firm. The oil was too hot, so they browned on the outside before they softened through.
• The inside of the lid is beaded with water. It was cut and boxed before it had cooled completely.

Nothing in this dish needs checking, and that is the point of it. Potatoes, eggs, olive oil and salt carry no gluten and no label risk. Where it goes wrong is the shortcut: frozen diced potatoes, refrigerated hash browns and shredded potato products are often coated to keep them from sticking, and some of those coatings are wheat based, so if you swap those in for whole potatoes you have to read the bag. The other risk is the pan. If the skillet is the one used for breaded food, wash it properly first, and replace nonstick that is scratched.