Spanish omelette

Ingredients

• Potatoes (maris piper), 600g
• Eggs, 6 (I use large)
• Olive oil, light, 400-500ml (to cover)
• Garlic, 1 small clove (optional)
• Salt, a good pinch, probably 1/8tsp

Method

1. Peel the potatoes, halve them, and slice them into 3-5mm slices. Crush the garlic. In a roomy bowl, beat the eggs with plenty of salt and a little pepper if you fancy.
2. Slowly bring the olive oil to a hot-ish temperature in a pan. I use a robust nonstick saucepan. Add the potatoes, making sure they're pretty much covered, and cook them at a medium high heat, stirring occasionally and carefully, so as not to have the ones on the bottom colour.
3. Keep it at a decent sizzle without full-on deep-frying until they are soft and properly unctuous.
4. The potatoes will break up a bit as you stir, but don't worry. If you're using garlic, add it a minute or two before the potatoes are done, to gently flavour it all through without browning.
5. Carefully tip the potatoes out into a seive/colander, to drain off and cool. Keep the oil. You'll get most of it back and can use it to make another couple of these.
6. Once the potatoes are cool enough not to cook the egg on contact (probably 10 mins), tip them into the egg mix, stir, and let is sit for as long as you're comfortable, to let the flavours blend. Half an hour works well, but it's not mad critical.
7. Get a sturdy frying pan to medium heat, and add a little of the olive oil. I use a hefty, steep sided 25cm nonstick, and this fills it nicely. Pour in the mixture, and cook, pulling it in from the sides a little with a spatula, for 7-8 mins, or until set on the bottom and browning a little, but still a bit sloppy on top. Then we flip it.
8. Place a plate on top of the frying pan, and carefully flip it over so the omelette is done side up. Lift the pan off and return to the heat. Now, carefully slide the omelette back into the pan. Work the sides away from the edge of the pan a little more, to help shape it into that lovely rounded puck shape, and cook for another couple of minutes to set the bottom. Then serve.
9. Recipe tip: You may prefer it still moist in the middle. In which case, trim the cooking time a little, maybe five on the underside, three or four after the flip.
10. Recipe tip: Serve with a variety of other tapas-y bits - roasted peppers, a little dish of fruity, mineral Spanish olives, chickpeas and spinach, or something with mackerel. It also makes a great lunch with a dollop of aioli.
11. Recipe tip: Times and temperature - cooking the potatoes 'until soft' at a 'medium high' heat took about 13 minutes at round about 100c.