One of our all-time favorite Spanish food recipes is the tortilla española. Essentially an open-faced omelet traditionally made with loads of olive oil, fried potato slices, and eggs it’s a dish you see at almost every tapas bar when you travel to Spain.
Spanish Tortilla Bites
The only drawback to a classic Spanish tortilla recipe is that it requires you to fry up every last potato slice, which takes quite some time. Enter the genius hack by a renowned Spanish chef, Ferran Adria, where he uses store-bought potato chips instead!
This shortcut twist on the traditional tortilla is one we turn to for cocktail parties because it makes quicker work of an otherwise laborious recipe. And, because it’s also easy to make ahead, served at room temperature, and can be cut into bite-sized pieces, it’s a winner of an appetizer too.
Though you could simply make it with olive oil, potato chips, and eggs, we add in other very Spanish flavors like chorizo, piquillo peppers, and thyme for extra oomph.
About The Spanish Bravas Sauce
The whole lot of it gets topped with Bravas Sauce.
Yes, this is a tomato-based sauce traditionally served with fried potatoes as part of the classic tapas dish known as patatas bravas. Well, here we add it as a garnish to lend a vinegary, sweet, smoky element to the dish.
Like romesco sauce, there is a lot of flavor in this simple sauce. We like to serve it in all sorts of ways like with potatoes, along with grilled steak, or here as part of this easy appetizer.
What To Serve With These Tortilla Bites
You could eat the tortilla in wedges with a salad of crunchy greens and have a meal into itself. But we suggest cutting it into bite-sized squares (with the help of a sharp knife) and then serving it for a cocktail party, preferably with a glass of bubbles of our White Negroni. Here are a few more recipes to serve along with these tortilla bites:
- Fennel and Apple Radicchio Lettuce Cups With Lemon Maple Cream Sauce
- Zucchini and Ricotta Salata Bruschetta
- Roasted Red Pepper And Eggplant Spread
- White Anchovy Toast With Pickled Fennel And Apple
- Crispy Black Lentils With Asparagus, Jamón, and Creamy Mustard Sauce
Go stock up on all your cooking essentials then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Spanish Potato Chip Tortilla Bites With Bravas Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
For The Spanish Tortilla:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 medium yellow onion finely sliced and divided
- kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces Smoked Portuguese Sausage (Linguica) or Spanish chorizo small dice (optional)
- 4 medium piquillo peppers or pimientos, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
- 10 large eggs
- 3 ounces (about 3 cups) potato chips crushed
For The Bravas Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium garlic cloves smashed
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 medium bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Make The Potato Chip Spanish Tortilla Bites: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large (10 inch) nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the sliced onions, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, occasionally stirring until the onions are golden brown, about 15 minutes.Stir in the chorizo, piquillo peppers, and thyme, and stir to coat. Cook until the mixture is fragrant and the chorizo sizzles, just 2 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the eggs and crushed potato chips in a large bowl, stir to coat, and set aside to soak for about 5 minutes.Once the potato chips have soaked, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the frying pan, stir it in and tilt the pan to coat the edges with oil. Add the egg mixture and cook over low heat, covered, until the edges are set, but the center is still loose 15 minutes. Occasionally shake the pan gently to ensure the tortilla is not sticking (if it is sticking, loosen with a heatproof spatula).Flip the tortilla by holding a large flat plate over the pan, and invert the frying pan over the plate. Slide the tortilla, cooked side up, back into the pan. Round off the edge of the tortilla with a heatproof spatula and cook over low heat, covered, until the egg on the bottom of the tortilla is set, about 3 minutes more.Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes before serving. Slide the tortilla onto a plate and serve warm or cold, cut into bite-sized pieces.TIP: Tortilla bites can be made up to two days ahead. Store refrigerated in an airtight container and warm briefly before using. Assemble within 30 minutes of serving.
- Make the Bravas Sauce: Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a medium frying pan. Once the oil shimmers, add the remaining half of the onion, season with a pinch of salt, and cook, occasionally stirring until softened and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.Add the tomatoes and their liquid, the bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cook, occasionally stirring, until the mixture is thickened and reduced by about one-third, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, discard the bay leaf, and transfer the sauce to a blender.Remove the cap from the blender lid and cover with a kitchen towel to allow steam to escape while you blend the sauce. Puree the mixture until it is very smooth and lighter in color, at least 2 minutes.Stir in the vinegar, sugar (if using), and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust flavoring as desired. TIP: Sauce can be made up to two days ahead. Store refrigerated in an airtight container and warm briefly before using.
- Serve The Tortilla Bites: Serve the bites topped with a dollop of each the bravas sauce and sour cream and a pinch of chopped fresh parsley.
