February is a busy month for us this year, in no small part because it’s my partner’s 40th birthday next week. We’ve got a big party lined up for the weekend at one of our favourite gluten-free-friendly restaurants, but for his actual birthday I’m making a rice pasta spinach lasagna. I’m also going to attempt a gluten-free version of next week’s FFwD recipe, Orange-Almond Tart. So, I was happy the month was starting off with a relatively easy dish. One which is naturally gluten-free, to boot. No substitutions needed.
Basque Potato Tortilla is more akin to what North Americans would describe as an omelette than what we think of as a tortilla. It’s started on the stove and finished under the broiler, requiring a close eye, but little intervention. I resisted the urge to add cheese (it’s good to break the habit of always cooking eggs with dairy), but added mushrooms, red pepper, thyme and ham to the base recipe.
Tonight, we ate slices at room temperature with lemon-dressed steamed Swiss Chard on the side. I’m curious to taste it cold tomorrow. I certainly see the appeal of slicing it into cubes or squares and serving it as an appetizer – it would go well with a red pepper salsa, I think. Though I enjoyed the tortilla, I don’t think it will be making a regular appearance in our kitchen. I’m keeping it in mind for those times when you need a simple, visually impressive main or appetizer, though, especially because it uses ingredients you’re likely to have on hand.
It’s also one of those dishes that’s infinitely variable. The Swiss Chard could have just as easily gone into the tortilla as on the side. It’s good to have a few variations on workhorse egg recipes in hand.
Thanks, Kevin, for the loan of your camera – the batteries in mine died today. Apologies to everyone for the darkness of this week’s shots. I’m not as handy with his camera.
You can find many other blogged descriptions of this week’s FFWD recipe here: Basque Potato Tortilla
One Wet Foot 
I like the addition of red pepper. My family loves the tortilla/frittata/open faced omelet. Its such a quick, easy and delicious meal. Your side dish of lemon dressed swiss chard sounds good too. Do you just squeeze on the lemon juice?
It browned beautifully and I like the pop of color with the red pepper. Nicely done!
Love those extra veges…I will add more to mine the next time. And I have chard growing in my garden and I have a lemon tree and yes, when the lemon juice gets squeezed on the chard it is wonderful!
Seems we both pulled this off at the last minute! Glad you did. I will be eating my leftovers for breakfast this morning. I will be making this with LOTS of swiss chard next time THAT is for sure!
@Lola – I just squeezed a little fresh lemon juice. It really brings out the flavour of the chard.
@Elaine – Thanks! I didn’t cook the red pepper much, so it still had a crunch, which I like.
@Krissy – I’m glad I added the extra vegetables, it made it more interesting in flavour and texture. A lemon tree – you’re so lucky!
@Trevor – Thank goodness it was so easy, or I may have had another late post! The leftovers make a great breakfast, don’t they? I think swiss chard would be terrific in this dish – on the side was good, too, though.
That looks fantastic!
Thanks, Leslie – simple ingredients, but it looks impressive. I just wish I had some more Swiss Chard for lunch.
I love the burst of color that the red pepper adds to your tortilla. Swiss chard on the side sounds great. I do love Swiss chard, any greens for that matter.
i love the idea of adding ham and red pepper–i kept thinking my tortilla needed a pop of color and you’ve gone and done it! hope the birthday celebrations go well!
@betsy – I love winter greens, too. I think chard, kale and spinach are nature’s compensation for shorter days and colder weather.
@evilcakelady – the ham and red pepper worked out really well. And thanks for the good wishes – I think it’s going to be a wonderful week!
Teresa, it’s not wrong to taunt me with crocus sitings in February, though I am very jealous. It gives me hope to know that spring is starting happen somewhere. I have snowdrops planned near my back door. They will sometimes bloom late in February, but 3 feet of snow need to melt before I can see them. Enjoy your milder weather.
Teresa, I really wanted to add mushrooms, but the rest of the gang would have pulled them all out! Your tortilla looks great!!!
The pepper added a nice burst of color! Ah. Crocuses are months away for us. Sigh.
Great photos and I loved the addition of the red pepper. Nice job!
@besty – I’m glad it gives you some hope!
Thanks, Liz!
@Cher – They had a nice crunch, too. I’m grateful to live in such a mild region. Don’t mean to rub it in.
Thanks, Kathy!
I like your version of the potato tortilla. I can imagine the flavors went very well together!
Teresa, I love the addition of mushrooms and am going to steal that one! I too have the urge to always have cheese with eggs and I had to convince myself to follow the recipe generally as written. It looks great!
Teresa, I have just been passed a ‘Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award’ and part of the fun of getting this award, is passing it to someone you think deserves to be recognized. So I am awarding it to you. You can pick it up via my blog.
@Ker-Yng – the flavours really did complement each other.
@KB – do try it with mushrooms, it’s good. I’m also glad to hear that I’m not the only one with the cheese/egg pairing bias.
@Kathy – Thank you so much! It’s really lovely to receive this from someone whose blog I so enjoy.