Potato, Onion & Mushroom Spanish Omlette

This simple dish is inspired by Ricardo's Spanish Potato & Onion Omelette. In Spain it is called "tortilla de patatas" or "tortilla a la española", meaning potato omlette or Spanish omlette. It can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner and doesn't take long to prepare. You could even put it together the day before and bake before serving. You can also add bacon, chopped ham or chorizo sausage for a more complete breakfast dish or leave as is for a delicious vegetarian entree.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced with a mandolin or sliced thin
3 large white potatoes or 8-10 small new potatoes, sliced with a mandolin or sliced thin
6-8 large white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup shredded white cheese (I used Goat's Gouda)
6 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil and high sided square or round glass baking dish. Line the dish with a strip of parchment paper horizontally with the paper hanging over the two ends so the frittata will be easy to remove. Lightly oil the parchment paper as well.

2. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and potatoes. Cook until just starting to brown. Add more oil if necessary. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender and browned, stirring often. Total cooking time should be 15-20 minutes to ensure potatoes are mostly cooked through.

3. Scoop half the onion/potato mixture into the baking dish. Top with half the parsley and half the cheese. Scoop the rest of the onion/potato mixture into the dish. Top with the remaining parsley and cheese.

4. Pour the eggs over the onion/potato mixture.

5. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes until eggs are set. Check every 10 minutes by jiggling the baking pan and inserting a fork in the centre. The eggs should be fluffy, not runny.

6. Let cool in dish for 5 mins. To remove from baking pan, carefully invert it on a serving dish. Cut into squares or wedges. Serve warm.



Variations:

- Add bacon, ham, chorizo or other meat. If using bacon, cook it first and use the bacon fat to cook the onion and potato, eliminating the need for olive oil.
- Use different herbs and cheese to vary the flavour.
- Add diced bell peppers, green onion and chopped chili pepper for a mexican style dish. Sub the parsley for cilantro. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
- Assemble in ramekins for individual portions.
- Eliminate the cheese, creating a dairy-free meal.