Weekly Recipe: Xixo's Tortilla Espanola By Winona's in NYC

When you bite into a dish that’s extra delicious, it’s not just the technique and fresh ingredients you’re tasting. It’s the love you’re sensing, too, and that’s what makes Xixo’s Tortilla Española at Winona’s in New York City so noteworthy.

The family-run restaurant, cafe and natural wine bar opened in 2020, but the concept got its start when founding owners Cressida Greening and Emir Dupeyron started hosting supper clubs in their apartment. The restaurant is modeled as an extension of their dining room, and the team puts a lot of love into its menu.

See also: 19 Of The Best Tasting Menus Across the U.S.

“Xixo’s Tortilla Española, named after our friend Albert Font (a.k.a. Xixo) whose recipe and method for a traditional Catalan tortilla we adapted for the restaurant, has been a mainstay on our menu ever since we opened,” Greening says. “During the height of the pandemic, Xixo started making and selling whole Tortillas straight from his apartment. Born partly out of needing some extra cash after losing his restaurant gig, but more so it became a means through which he could sustain connection with friends, even when we weren’t able to be physically close to one another.”

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Greening and Dupeyron fell totally in love with Xixo’s tortillas, and they knew they needed to bring it to the Winona menu. A few months later, Xixo taught Winona’s head chef Kirstyn Brewer how to make them, and a new fan favorite was born.

“Chef Kirstyn has imparted her own culinary wisdom onto the process and has tweaked certain elements to allow us to scale the production, but at the heart of it, the recipe remains the same,” Greening says. “After asking Xixo whether he would be comfortable with us sharing his secret and much coveted tortilla recipe, and whether he had any wisdom to shed on what the secret is behind getting it just right, he said ‘the secret is, there is no secret. It’s super simple, anyone can do it. But if you don’t put love and time into each step, it’s not going to turn out right. This is a recipe passed down through my family and now on to yours at Winona’s, so it is all about love and family and without that it’s not a real tortilla.’”

Lucky for us, Xixo and the Winona team have agreed to share this refined family recipe, so all of us can taste the love and share it with our own friends and family. Make sure you follow the directions exactly, and add a heaping scoop of care.

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Recipe from Winona's Chef Kirstyn Brewer

For 1 tortilla

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 6 cups small diced onion
• 3.6 cups small diced potato
• 1 quart olive oil
• .75 tbsp salt

Directions:

When prepping the tortilla, there are a few things that are very important. The recipe is very simple but the best results come from being diligent with the process.

1. Be sure to temper the eggs. Crack them in a bowl and allow them to sit at room temp for at least 15 minutes. Be sure the potatoes and onions are very evenly cut, and about the same size as each other.
2. Start the onions first as they take longer to cook. After dicing, place them in a sauté pan and add half the olive oil. Cool over low-to-medium heat, stirring often.
3. While the onions are cooking, peel and dice russet potatoes. Place the cubes in a bowl and season with all of the salt, turning to coat well and work the salt into the potato. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. After 10 minutes, add the potatoes to another sauté pan over low heat with the rest of the olive oil. It’s very important to keep the heat low. Frying the potatoes will create a skin on them, and they won’t absorb the egg and will be chewy.
5. As the onions slowly brown, continue to stir. The heat can be raised a little at this point to finish getting them to a golden color. They should be golden brown and almost crispy. Not caramelized and soft.
6. Pour the finished onions and oil through a china cap, saving the oil. Press on them to squeeze out excess oil. Quickly, while they are still very hot, add one tablespoon at a time to the bowl of whisked eggs, storing well to incorporate. It’s very important they are added slowly as to temper the egg.
7. When the potatoes are very soft—but not browned or mushy—pour them into the strainer as well, reserving the oil. Do not press on these or they will be smashed. Repeat the process of slowly adding potato to egg, one tablespoon at a time, until they are all in the bowl.
8. The egg mixture should be thicker and custardy at this point. Taste here for seasoning. Extra olive oil can be used to cook the onions and potatoes for the next tortilla.
9. To cook the tortilla, use a non-stick pan over low medium heat. Add enough of the reserved olive oil to the pan just to coat. Using a rubber spatula, coax the egg mixture into the pan, being sure to scrape all and pat to get it even in the pan. Slowly allow the tortilla to cook, moving the pan around the heat to cook evenly.
10. After 3 to 4 min, there should be a thin layer of cooked egg around the outside and the inside is still custardy. Place a clean, flat plate on top of the pan, and quickly flip the tortilla out onto the plate. Slide the tortilla raw side down back into the sauté pan and quickly tuck the edges under to seal. Cook for another 2 to 3 min until the tortilla is sealed and still custardy in the middle. Let rest and serve at room temperature.

Visit Winona’s in NYC and online for more delicious flavors and inspiration.