Skip to main content

Sour-Cream-and-Onion Tortilla Española

4.5

(4)

Sour Cream  Onion Potato Chip Tortilla Espanola on a white plate
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht

Tortilla Española is a classic Spanish tapa made of scrambled eggs and tender potatoes, cooked into a sliceable round omelet. Served warm, room temperature, or straight from the fridge, it’s widely considered to be a national dish of Spain. This version—inspired by a twist popularized by celebrated Spanish chef Ferran Adrià—swaps in crispy potato chips for raw potatoes. That means super-thin layers of potato without having to use a mandoline.

Saving your fingers from potential slicing disaster is not the only shortcut. While a traditional tortilla is cooked on both sides (requiring some real finesse to slide a half-raw omelet onto a plate and invert it back into a hot pan), this version bakes in the oven—no flipping required. Any bits of chip that stick out of the eggy mixture stay delightfully crisp, so there’s no need to worry about getting everything flat and even. Rustic is the move, which makes for a more relaxed path to mealtime.

Sour cream and onion—that beloved savory pairing—factors into this tortilla in two ways. First, as the ingredients themselves: A scoop of sour cream is whisked into the beaten eggs for richness and tang, while caramelized onions add sweetness and bulk. Second, sour-cream-and-onion-flavored chips offer surprising brightness and depth. Even if you’re not a huge fan of the flavored chips (raises hand), the results are so undeniable when baked into a pan of eggs, you might find yourself keeping a bag around for this recipe alone.

What you’ll need

Read More
This riff on çılbır marries garlicky yogurt, fried eggs, and spiced butter with summer tomatoes.
A flavorful one-pan meal featuring baked pierogies, roasted beets, and a poppy seed dressing. Frozen pierogies and pre-cooked beets make this extra easy.
Elegant and simple to prep ahead, this classic brunch dish gets its savory backbone from sautéed leeks.
With colorful radishes and jammy eggs, this is just as great for a holiday as it is for a casual spring lunch.
Sour cream scones get treated to a cinnamon-sugar swirl and crunchy streusel crown.
Silky Japanese eggplant and fiery serrano chile unite in this no-fuss frittata that’s brunch-ready, dinner-worthy, and wildly good.
A good garlic mashed potato recipe can upstage even the flashiest of mains. Adding just a few cloves of garlic turns what could be a simple side dish into something with undeniable charm.
Roasted poblanos, jalapeños, and red onion are coated with a melty sauce—warm with the flavors of pepper jack, and stabilized with a block of cream cheese.