Skills you will learn in this recipe
Cooking with eggs & making an omelette; boiling & frying potatoes
Links to the last recipe
Working with tomatoes & peppers
Omelettes require a little practice to master, and you can find top tips on how to perfect them in our dedicated Simple Supper post here. But after a few goes, you’ll be making omelettes with ease, and they’re a great base for any number of fillings. We particularly like this combination of tomato, pepper and potato – it’s reminiscent of a classic Spanish tortilla. But experiment with different fillings you like – we give some suggestions at the end of this post. They’re a great standby for using leftovers or finishing up items from the fridge too – you can often make a tasty meal without having to shop!
Start by peeling and par-boiling the potatoes, prior to frying later. You can find out how in our potato Tip.
Now prep the tomatoes and pepper. We like to use a nice firm baby tomato variety so they hold their shape and texture when frying, and a yellow pepper just for colour contrast, but any tomatoes or peppers you have to hand will do.
Halve the tomatoes, and slice the pepper into thick rounds, removing the stem and central white pith. Then chop the rounds into large pieces, and also chop the top and base.
When the potatoes are par-boiled, about 15 to 20 mins depending on size, drain them and chop into bite-sized pieces – again see our potato Tip for more detail. Today we decided to add a little garlic to the filling, though it isn’t strictly necessary. If you want to add it, chop it roughly, see our garlic Tip. Your mise en place is ready!
Now add a knob of butter to a large non-stick frying pan and add a little oil. Put the pan over a medium heat until the butter is just melted. The peppers will need longer to fry than the tomatoes so add them first, cooking until softened slightly, followed by the garlic if using. Then add the tomatoes – we like these best in this dish when the skin is just slightly softened, but the tomatoes still retain some bite. Reserve with a slotted spoon to a bowl or plate.
Jake sticks his nose in
Remember Bibi’s tips when frying. Use butter for flavour but add oil so it doesn’t burn; think about the order of frying – tougher and larger items first, then softer ones.
Now fry the potatoes until brown and crisp – find out how in our potato Tip. Today we seasoned with salt and a little cayenne, which works particularly well with potatoes, but you can use whichever seasonings you like – chilli, paprika or woody herbs like thyme or rosemary are particularly good too. Reserve onto a plate. Wipe down the pan with kitchen paper to remove any potato bits, but keep it to had as you’ll need it again later.
You are now ready to cook your omelette!
We talk more about choosing the right size and type of pan for your omelette in our Simple Supper omelette post. Today we were making a sharing four egg omelette for two people, so used a 10in (26cm) cast iron skillet. Crack the eggs into a bowl (see our egg Tip), and whisk well with a fork. You can season with pepper if you wish (we don’t – the filling is already peppery and we also like the omelette to remain fully pale, as is traditional) but do not add salt.
Now follow the steps in our Simple Supper omelette post, the only difference being that this is a four egg omelette, so using a 10in pan. Add a generous knob of salted butter to the pan, and melt over a medium heat. Swirl the pan to coat it well with the butter. Whisk the eggs again and add all in one go. Wait 20 seconds (we count in our head), then begin to gently draw the sides in shaking and tilting the pan to keep the base coated with egg. There are lots more pictures, hints and tips on how to do this in our omelette post. When the sides begin to firm and the centre begins to resemble roughly scrambled egg, but the omelette is still a little runny (‘baveuse’), as in the final picture below, you are ready to fill.
Add the filling, keeping it slightly to one side, then gently fold over the other side of the omelette. Filled omelettes are more difficult to roll then plain ones, so just do the best you can. Folding it a third over and then rolling the omelette out onto a plate so the rest folds under is the ideal, but if you end up with it in half that is fine – it will still taste great!
If you think the filling above looks a little different to the one we prepared in earlier pictures you’d be right! We made a delicious omelette with the original filling, but we were working so fast to get it rolled and served that we didn’t check the pictures. When we did, we found the lens had steamed up and the pictures were unusable! So we had to quickly remake one with the ingredients we had to hand (we told you it was a store cupboard no shop recipe!). The first filling was nicer, but the second omelette itself above was actually a better one!
Halve your omelette and serve immediately. Bon appétit!
Other great fillings for omelettes
- Mushrooms sautéed in butter, with a little garlic or cream if liked
- Ham & Gruyère (or other firm cheese)
- Smoked salmon & cream cheese (with dill or capers if liked)
- Potato & onion
- Spinach & feta
- Sautéed courgette & sweetcorn
- Sausage (or chorizo) & herbs
- Cheddar, chive & tomato
- Cooked prawn & spring onion
- Tomato, mozzarella & basil
Tasty Tomato, Pepper & Potato Omelette
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Peel the potatoes and par-boil them until just before done. See our potato Tip
- Halve the tomatoes (or chop roughly if larger). Core and chop the pepper. Roughly chop the garlic, if using.
- Fry the pepper in 1 tbsp oil plus one knob of butter, until just softened, then add the garlic (if using) and the tomatoes and fry until the skin just begins to cook. Reserve to a plate or bowl.
- Drain the potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces and fry in oil & butter until golden and crisp. Season with salt and the cayenne pepper to taste. See our potato Tip. Reserve. Wipe down the pan with kitchen paper, but keep it to hand.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, and whip well with a fork. Do not season with salt.
- Return the peppers, tomatoes and potatoes to the frying pan and warm through gently while you prepare the omelette.
- Set the second frying pan or skillet over a medium high heat, and add a generous knob of salted butter. When the butter has melted, swirl the pan to coat, and add the eggs. Leave for 20 seconds before starting to draw the sides into the middle, swirling and shaking the pan to redistribute the egg. The omelette is ready when the sides firm and start to come away cleanly, but the centre is still slightly runny. 2 to 3 minutes at most. See our omelette post.
- Fold one side of the omelette over onto the filling, then tip out the filled omelette with a rolling motion onto a plate.
- Cut in half, and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!