Give Ham And Cheese The Ultimate Breakfast Treatment With Eggs, Potatoes, Salt, And Pepper (It's So Easy)

The classic, homey American breakfast includes the essentials of fried potatoes, eggs, and breakfast meats such as sausage, bacon, or ham. These staple ingredients can take a number of different forms such as a hashbrown casserole or breakfast bowls, but you can give these humble staples an out-of-the-box upgrade with Spanish flair. A simple, Spanish-style omelet can be made by melting ham and cheese in between two egg and shredded potato pancakes to create a delectable sort of breakfast pie.

This dish mimics a Spanish tortilla, or tortilla Española, which in its most basic form is made with eggs, potatoes, and olive oil to create a thick omelet (not to be confused with the thin tortillas of Mexican cuisine). Perfecting the beloved Spanish tortilla can be a technical challenge, but with a few simple hacks you can make your own delicious breakfast pie with ease.

The dish begins with stirring together grated potatoes and eggs to form a thick batter which is seasoned to taste. Half of this batter is spread into a frying pan and then topped with ham and cheese. The rest of the batter goes on top. The omelet is then covered and cooked on low, allowing the cheese to melt and the egg to cook. Once browned on one side, the tortilla gets a flip. The result is something between a latke and a frittata, with crispy potato edges and a savory and cheesy inside.

The bare bones of this breakfast plate are oh-so-simple, but it can be dressed up in any number of ways. Adding onion or garlic to the potatoes gives the omelet base a rich umami flavor, and in addition to salt and pepper, try paprika, tarragon, rosemary, or whatever seasoning you enjoy. If you don't have ham on hand, it can be substituted with bacon, sausage, or any cold cut. Or skip the meat altogether for a vegetarian version with spinach, peppers, or mushrooms.

This breakfast hack is also already miles easier than a traditional Spanish tortilla which involves slowly cooking potatoes in oil and flipping the omelet several times. But to save even more time, try using frozen or leftover French fries if you don't feel like peeling and grating potatoes. That'll make the tortilla chunkier, but using shredded, frozen hash browns will preserve a more latke-like texture.

A commenter on Youtube, also recommends shredding potatoes by pulsing them in a food processor. To ensure the potatoes end up nice and crispy, others suggest rinsing the grated potatoes in cold water to remove the extra starch.