Saturday, February 26, 2011

Smoked Sun-Dried Tomato Tortilla + Herbed Aioli

When a person even mentions a recipe or dish, I lock in on it and have to try it, too. Within seconds of meeting someone, I find that the conversation almost always turns to food. I love to ask questions and gain inspiration from passionate, everyday cooking.

This is what gave me the idea to make a Spanish tortilla. At a photo shoot recently, I started asking people what they were making for dinner. A student told me that she was making a tortilla. I'd had some delicious versions of this potato-and-egg dish in the past. So as I drove home in a terrible storm, all I could think about was what I would put in my own version of a Spanish tortilla.

My favorite new ingredient is smoked sun-dried tomatoes. I found some locally at Fresh Market for about $4.00 a pouch. They taste very bacon-y, sweet, and savory. I just knew they would be perfect here. How would you use smoked sun-dried tomatoes?



Smoked Sun-Dried Tomato Tortilla

1 potato (peeled, sliced 1/8-inch or thinner)
olive oil
4-6 eggs (depending on how many folks will be eating)
1/4 cup milk
5 smoked sun-dried tomatoes (small dice)
1 shallot (minced)
1 ounce manchego or aged goat cheese (shredded)
salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a 10-inch skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and add potatoes (dry slices with a towel for a crispier potato) in a single layer on the bottom of the skillet. Turn off the heat on the skillet, cover, and set aside. The heat from the skillet will sear the outside of the potato, and the residual heat will cook them through. Mix the next four ingredients and pour mixture over the potatoes. Top with salt, pepper, and goat cheese. Place the skillet in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the center is set. Turn tortilla over on to a serving plate so that the potato side is up. Serve tortilla hot or room temperature. Garnish each slice with a bit more cheese, garlic chives, herbed aioli, and sriracha.

Herberd Aioli:

handful of parsley
1 clove of garlic
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup mayo (I use vegan mayo)
salt + pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients until smooth. You will have some left over to use on sandwiches, wraps, or other things you want to yummify.