40 | APRIL 4 • 2024 
J
N

I

n last week’s issue, we cov-
ered Passover appetizers and 
sides. This week, we’ll be 
focusing on main dishes.
I surveyed friends to learn 
more about the main dishes 
they would eat on Passover. 
What surprised me (but maybe 
shouldn’t have) was that no 
one responded with very 
much enthusiasm — I gener-
ally didn’t hear about dishes I 
needed to try or particularly 
memorable flavors. I did hear 
about some fun traditions, like 
a friend whose mother would 
make chicken with 40 cloves of 

garlic, a nod to the 40 years the 
Israelites would spend in the 
wilderness.
On my part, for most years, 
the main would either involve 
chicken (roasted, chicken 
Marbella) or brisket in a pretty 
standard formulation, though 
there has been the occasional 
fish-based or vegetarian meal. 
It was actually a vegetarian 
seder meal that reigns as my 
favorite to date. That meal was 
tapas themed: The inspiration 
came from the idea that if 
we’re going to be drinking four 
glasses of wine at the seder, 

then they might as well be 
sangria. And so indeed, the 
wine was sangria, and the meal 
included lots of small plates, 
including Spanish-style roasted 
eggplant, peppers and onions; 
potatoes with a romesco sauce; 
and Spanish-style cheese. The 
main dish was a Spanish-style 
tortilla (tortilla Española), 
involving thinly sliced potatoes 
and onions sautéed in obscene 
amounts of olive oil and then 
enrobed in an egg mixture, 
with the whole concoction 
dramatically flipped to cook on 
both sides. 

While I had received some 
skepticism from purists who 
believe that it is not Passover 
without brisket, I am gratified 
to share that they were ulti-
mately converted. Though the 
ingredients are simple, the dish 
succeeds at being more than 
the sum of its parts and is only 
enhanced by some aioli or the 
aforementioned romesco sauce.
In case I haven’t won you 
over, in addition to the tortilla 
Española (which also makes 
a great non-seder Passover 
meal), I’ve also included reci-
pes for a simple chicken with 
bold flavors including garlic, 
oregano and lemon as well as a 
corned beef. What I appreciate 
about all of these recipes is that 
they bring substantial flavor 
and don’t require purchasing 
a store’s worth of Passover-
specific ingredients.

 

TORTILLA ESPAOLA
Adapted from Daniel Gritzer
Serves 6 to 8
Parve

Ingredients

8 large eggs

Kosher salt, to taste

2 cups (475ml) extra-virgin olive 

oil

1½ pounds (700g) Yukon Gold 

potatoes, peeled, halved, and thin-

ly sliced crosswise

¾ pound (350g) yellow onions, 

thinly sliced

Aioli or romesco sauce, for serving

Preparation
In a large bowl, beat eggs 
vigorously with a large pinch 
of salt until frothy. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a 10-inch 
nonstick or well-seasoned 
carbon steel skillet, heat oil 
over medium-high heat until 
shimmering. Add potatoes 
and onions; they should 
gently (but not vigorously) 
bubble in the oil. Regulating 
heat to maintain a gentle 

FOOD 
PASSOVER

Food for Thought: 

 Passover Mains
 Passover Mains

JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER