William looked crestfallen when I said we were having a Spanish omelette for supper. ‘Only one onion and no ham?’

To my joy, dear Claudia Roden writes at length on Spanish omelettes in her book,’ Claudia Roden: The Food of Spain’. Of course there are lots of regional variations but a little onion and diced potatoes is her (and my) way. Furthermore Claudia Roden states, ‘I will not pretend that it is easy to make’.

We had the first of our main crop potatoes which were ideal to use.

200g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
200ml olive oil
Salt
4 eggs

Dry the cubed potatoes in kitchen paper and put them in a large frying pan with the onion and most of the oil. Cook slowly over a low heat with the lid on until the potatoes are soft but not coloured. Check them from time to time. Salt generously and transfer the potatoes and onion to a basin and leave to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and then mix in the potatoes and onion.

Put all but a tablespoon of the remaining oil in the large frying pan and heat until obviously warm (but not smoking). Add the egg mixture and immediately turn down the heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a thin, flexible fish slice or spatula, test the omelette by lifting up the sides to see if it is cooked underneath.

Now comes the tricky part. Loosen the omelette and invert it onto the frying pan lid. (Claudia Roden writes that in Spain, special lids may be kept solely for this purpose.) Put the remaining oil in the pan and slide the omelette back into it. Let it cook for a minute or two more until the omelette is only just set.

Large frying pans are heavy and, if inverting the omelette is a problem, then the second side could always be cooked under the grill,

With lots of Tabasco and a green salad, it was declared a very good meal!