Manchego omelette with patatas bravas and olive and feta salad

This is a recipe cooked with the other half for guests, can you tell? He is far more adventurous when it comes to cooking, probably because he doesn't limit himself to a predominantly vegan diet. I don't call myself vegan though, so a bit of cheese and egg isn't completely off my menu. Also, when I cook with him my portion sizes treble in size.

We decided to make a tapas style Spanish meal. I absolutely love the punchy flavours of Spanish food, and this meal didn't disappoint. Patatas bravas are Spanish roasted potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce on top. Manchego is a firm cheese made using sheep milk in the origin of La Mancha in Spain.

We had friends around so I took the photo quickly in bad light. It is much more colourful in real life, and packed full of flavour as Spanish food should be.

Manchego omelette with patatas bravas and olive and feta salad

Serves 4
Omelette
8 free range eggs
Knob of butter
50g Manchego cheese, sliced
Oregano
Salt and freshly

Patatas bravas
A good drizzle of olive oil
New potatoes (I kept the little ones whole and a few bigger ones I chopped into about 1inch chunks)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed and finely diced. 
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tsp hot chilli powder (or to taste)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar

Olive and feta salad
Spinach
1 red pepper
4 tomatoes
Half a cucumber
Half block of feta, crumbled in chunks
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Green olives

Garlic bread
1 half baked baguette
50g lightly salted butter
1 garlic clove, crushed and finely diced
Dried oregano

1. Heat the oven to about 220 degrees and preheat a roasting tray
2. Par boil the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes.
3.  Drain the potatoes and add to the roasting tray with plenty of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, turning very occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and garlic and add to a saucepan on a medium heat with a glug of olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions have become translucent.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, chilli, paprika, stock cube and sugar, cover, turn the heat to low  and let simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes
   
6. Make the garlic butter for the garlic bread by beating the butter, garlic clove and oregano together. 
7. Make slits in the the garlic bread, not cutting all the way through, so it can be teared once cooked. 
8. Stuff the garlic butter into the slits and place in the oven on a tray for about 10 minutes
9. Chop and combine all the solid ingredients for the salad, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice
   
10. Beat the eggs and herbs along with some salt and pepper
11. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, melt a good knob of butter and add the egg mixture
12. Break the sliced manchego into chunks and scatter over the omelette whilst it is cooking
13. Flip the omelette after 4-5 minutes to ensure it is cooked all the way through
14. Cut the omelette into 4 pieces and serve with a tearing of the garlic bread and a big portion of the salad.
15. Take the potatoes out of the oven, and serve with the sauce on top