Crispy potato and chorizo is a classic Spanish combination, so why not  whisk up your eggs with this quintessential  Spanish sausage  and potato to make a decadent omelette  with a salad on the side that can be served for breakfast lunch or dinner.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 ounces Spanish chorizo , sliced into thin half-moons
3/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1/4 teaspoon whit vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
10 large eggs
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup shredded Manchego or sharp Cheddar Cheese
One 8-ounce package baby arugula
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 400° F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the yellow onion and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon pan contents out and set onion aside. Wipe the skillet using a clean kitchen towel.

In medium saucepan, add water, potatoes and a touch of salt and vinegar and over high heat, bring to a boil. This technique will ensure that the potatoes will maintain their shape without running the risk of breaking down or collapsing when added to the chorizo. Cook the potatoes until fork tender.

Once the potatoes are par-cooked, drain them and heat  1 teaspoon of olive oil a separate cast iron skillet over medium heat. Fry the potatoes, tossing them and stirring them slowly so that they get a chance to build up a nice, even, crisp golden brown crust. Set aside.

In the cleaned out skillet used to cook the onions,  add the chorizo and a pinch of salt. Cook for  3 to 5 minutes as the chorizo will start to sizzle, releasing all its tasty oils and spices. (Note: Mexican chorizo is featured in the pictures below.)

 

Once the chorizo is crisp, return the onions to the skillet and add the potatoes.

 

Place the eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper in the blender and mix until very frothy, about 1 minute.

Heat another  large ovenproof skillet  over medium heat and, when hot, add the butter to the pan, swirling to coat. Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet immediately, adding the potatoes, chorizo and cheese, spreading everything out evenly.

Using the rubber spatula, stir continuously and scrape down sides so as to evenly cook the mixture. Once the mixture resembles wet scrambled eggs, after about 30 seconds, use the rubber spatula to smooth the eggs so that they are an even depth throughout.

Place the whole skillet in the preheated oven until the omelette is golden brown on top and just cooked through in the middle.

Cook until almost set, about 10 seconds longer, and use the rubber spatula to fold the omelet in half. Carefully slide the omelette out of the pan onto the plate.

Divide the arugula and red onion among plates and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Cut the omelette into wedges and serve with the salad.

Cook’s Notes:

Chorizo (Spanish) or chouriço (Portuguese) is a term originating in the Iberian Peninsula encompassing several types of pork sausages. Traditionally, chorizo is encased in natural casings made from intestines, a method used since Roman times.

Chorizo is a Spanish pork sausage in which case it must be cooked before eating. In Europe, it is more frequently a fermented, cured, smoked sausage, in which case it is often sliced and eaten without cooking, and can be added as an ingredient to add flavor to other dishes. Spanish chorizo and Portuguese chouriço get their distinctive smokiness and deep red color from dried smoked red peppers (pimentón/pimentão).

 

Due to culinary tradition and the high cost of imported Spanish smoked paprika, Mexican chorizo is usually made with native chili peppers of the same Capsicum annuum species, used abundantly in Mexican cuisine. Mexican chorizo is also highly seasoned with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and coriander, bright red from a combination of paprika andachiote, and tangy from vinegar and it does not need to be aged or cured. In Latin America, vinegar also tends to be used instead of the white wine usually used in Spain.

Where Spanish chorizo is a firm, raw, dry-cured sausage flavored with smoked paprika and South American chorizos tend to be coarse ground garlicky sausages cooked in their natural casings, Mexican chorizo is that loosely bound, finely ground, by-the-pound, best when browned stuff that you’ll find in the fresh sausages department. It comes stuffed either into natural casings, or, more often than not, into plastic sleeves that need to be sliced and squeezed out before cooking.