Irish farmhouse cheese and pancetta tortilla

Celebrity Irish chef Clodagh McKenna shares her delicious Irish farmhouse cheese and pancetta tortilla recipe. 

Try making this tortilla using award-winning Irish farmhouse cheeses like  Durrus, Gubbeen or Hegarty's.

Irish farmhouse cheese and pancetta tortilla

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled
• 1kg potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
• 5 free-range eggs
• 75g Irish farmhouse cheese, such as Durrus, Gubbeen or Hegarty's
• 75g pancetta, or smoked streaky bacon, diced
• 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cut the onions and potatoes in half and then thinly slice. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 20cm non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Tip in the onions and potatoes, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
3. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk lightly. Once the potatoes and onions are cooked, tip them into the bowl of whisked eggs and mix together.
4. Stir in the grated Irish farmhouse cheese, pancetta and a pinch of fresh nutmeg into the egg mixture.
5. Place the skillet back over the heat and, if needed, pour in a small drizzle of oil. Pour in the tortilla mixture, and leave to cook for about 15 minutes or until the frittata is set.
6. Every now and then, draw the edge in gently with a palette knife. After about 10 minutes, you need to turn the tortilla over to cook on the other side. Place a plate over the skillet and carefully invert both so that the tortilla is on the plate. Put the skillet back on the heat and slide the tortilla back into the skillet, this time the other way up.
7. Cook for a further two minutes, then leave it to rest in the pan for about five minutes. Slide it onto a board or plate and serve sliced, either warm or at room temperature.

Find more great Irish food & drinks recipes here.

*Originally published in June 2022. Updated in June 2023.