Here’s a recipe inspired by the Spanish frittata — I kept the potato which is traditionally used in a frittata, but I take it in a totally different direction. This roulade or roll up is a stuffed omelette with smoked paprika, fried potatoes, peppers and water cress. You can make this the previous day of a party and just cut it up and serve the day of. This is a great make ahead appetizer for entertaining!
Use any vegetables or cheeses you like. I enjoy the peppery bite of watercress with the creamy cheese. The orange bell pepper adds color, and the fried potatoes make these omelette pinwheels fun and filling.
(almost) Step-by-step instructions for omelette rollups
- Place cooked omelette on a large pice of cling film. Cling film must be about twice as long and wide as the omelette
- Let omelette cool completely
- Once cool, gently spread cream cheese over the omelette. Dont spread cream cheese all the way to the edges of the omelette. Leave a little space for the filling ooze out when rolling
- Place a single layer of watercress leaves over the cream cheese
- Then arrange julienned peppers and fried potato sticks alternatingly. Place them horizontally. They should be in a single layer.
- Pick up the end of the omelette thats closest to you and begin rolling
- Roll gently, but tightly. Take care not to tear the omelette. You will now have an omelette ‘sausage’
- Now pick up the cling film that the omelette is on, and roll the omelette ‘sausage’ to make a package. Make sure you wrap and roll the cling film tightly over the omelette ‘sausage’
- Twist the ends of the package
- Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This will make the roulade easier to cut
- After 30 minutes, take out the package from the fridge. Carefully remove cling film.
- Place 6-8 tooth picks at regular intervals on the omelette roll.
- Using a sharp knife, cut inbetween each tooth pick, to get spiral shaped omelette pinwheels
- Serve at room temperature
How I took the ‘inside the fridge’ photo above
I cleared out a section of the fridge and placed my camera inside the fridge, facing out. You need a remote trigger for your camera and a reasonably wide angle lens to do this (focal length for this was 34mm).
It took a few test shots and changing the setting to get the exposure right. Then its easy, I just opened the fridge, and clicked the remote as I was placing the roll up inside the fridge.
If you dont have a remote for your camera, set your camera on the self timer.
You can do this from inside the oven too (make sure the oven is not on!).
Notes & Tips
- Omelette must be completely cool before rolling
- Cream cheese must be at room temperature, this will make it easier to spread
- Dont over cook the omelette. Cooking on high heat or for too long will make your omelette dry and you will risk tearing it while rolling
- Make sure the omelette is not too thick, or it will be difficult to roll. A 12 inch diamater pan is perfect for a 6 egg omelette
- If you find cooking and flipping over a 6 egg omelette is difficult, make 2 roulades instead. Use a 6 inch pan and make two 3 egg omelettes. This way, they will be easier to handle and flip over, compared to a large single omelette
Omelette Rollups or Roulade with Smoky Fried Potatoes, Cream Cheese, Bell Pepper and Watercress Recipe
serves about 3-4 as an appetizer
For the omelette
6 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon of smoked paprika (substitute with chilli powder, regular paprika or cayenne)
salt
non-stick spray or olive oil
For the smoky potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small potato
a pinch of smoked paprika, use more if you like it spicy
salt
Other ingredients
6 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 green or red or orange pepper, julienned
1/2 cup watercress leaves loosely packed
Make the omelette: Whisk the eggs, smoked paprika and salt. Heat a 12 inch diameter nonstick skillet and spray with non-stick spray or 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook on medium heat till the underside of the omelette is slightly golden. Carefully flip the omelette over and cook the other side till done. Using a large spatula, trasfer the omelette to a large sheet of cling film. Let omelette cool completely.
Make the potatoes: While omelette is cooling, make the smoky potatoes. Scrub the potato clean. Leave skin on. Cut the potato into batons. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the potato sticks in a single layer. Fry the potatoes till golden. Remove cooked potatoes onto a paper towel and sprinkle with smoked paprika and salt.
Make the rollup: When the omelette is completely cool. Spread the cream cheese over the omelette. Then arrange the water cress leaves in a single layer. Place the pepper juliennes and smoky potato sticks over the watercress layer. Make sure the peppers and potato only form a single layer. Gently roll omlette. Wrap the omlette roll in cling film, gently but firmly. Place the package in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then cut into pinwheel pieces.
For detailed step-by-step instructions and photos see post above.
Very cool idea.
And I spot a Grand Sweets Thokku bottle
*high-five*
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 18th, 2010 at 10:50 am
you recognized the thokku bottle just from the red lid??!!! im impressed! its grand sweets onion thokku, which is my all time fav! yum!
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this is genius! i love it.
i also adore the inside-the-fridge shot
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That rolled omelet looks delicious! I really like your idea and lovely shots!
Cheers,
Rosa
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I love that pic from indie the fridge.
Delicous looking omelette rolls.
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Omelette+fried potatoes+cream cheese !!! sounds delicious to me…
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Wow! I also made some roulades today, but yours look way too inviting
Love all the pictures and also the fridge picture idea. Reminds me of ‘Good Eats’ videos.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 18th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Prerna, good eats is exactly where the fridge photo was inspired from!
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This is just brilliant..and the pics are stunning i could spend all day looking at ur blog…Really.
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Mmmmm, that looks lovely! Very nifty! I do wonder how you got that fridge shot though?
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 18th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Please read the section below the photo titled “how i shot the inside the fridge photo”
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Awesome pics.. Yummy recipe..
So did you have the remote in you right hand in the picture??? Just wondering!!
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 18th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
yes! you can kinda tell that the remote is in my right hand, but i tried to hide it in my cupped palm so it doesnt show.
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Hey Sala, this is a brilliant idea of omelette. Appreciate your step-by-step pics and hard work. Pics are just beautiful as ever!
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Love the pics and the highlight is you know which one….rolls looks yum..so new recipe for me…
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Love the fridge shot! And love this recipe! Can’t wait to serve it up at my next dinner party!
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So up for next food network star???? Nice post with twist …as usual…liked the fridge shot.
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I would love this for breakfast or brunch, but serving pieces as appetizers sounds great too! The filling sounds delicious, and the rolled shape is lovely.
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Hi Sala, Wonder if u remember me (from Vikaasa) …love ur site, recipes are creative and easy to follow and the photos are FANTASTIC ! … Zuleika
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What a great idea, Sala. The photos look great, including those ingredient shots I always love. I tried making Spanish potato tortilla recently and messed up some parts, but still loved the flavor so I bet I’d love this dish too.
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i’m inspired. I am such a fan of breakfast i cant wait to make this.
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How incredible are these roll-ups? I can see myself making them to take on picnics this summer. Your pictures are drop-dead gorgeous as usual.
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I wonder how this would be warm – I cant wait to try it.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 21st, 2010 at 10:53 am
They will defenitely be great warm! It just might be a bit more difficult to handle and roll a hot omlette. I also found that when the cream cheese got cold, it held the roll together, so it was easier to cut. I’d love to know how your warm version turns out!
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just made two of them… wow, sooo delicious! we are big on red onion / scallion so i added some.
yummie!
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Those looks delicious! I think you could make anything look delicious with your pictures though. I love how creative you get with your shots. That fridge shot is awesome!
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This looks delicious and something I will definitely have to try. It’s such a great idea and perfect to take on a picnic.
Beautiful photography too.
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Hey Sala…
Inside the fridge shot is absolutely terrific!!!. So Original and Brilliant thought!. *clap ! clap ! clap!*….
The Roulade looks good too… Agree with delicieux… It looks like a good picnic food!.
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That is such a great idea, especially if you’re having guests over for a brunch. Beautiful shots too
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Fundoo idea!! That is why I love you so much. You have the simpliest recipes with the most beautiful presentation!
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This looks interesting…luv anything with eggs! Nice idea of omlelette rolls
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A beautiful roll-up riff. Smoky fried potatoes caught my eye and appetite immediately. Cool fridge shot, too.
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your pics are always brilliant, makes me want to keep looking at the blog. did you take photography lessons? or have websites that you referred to?
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Brilliant pictures and wonderful dish.. nice idea of making roulade using omelette and cream cheese.. truely mouthwatering pictures and cute idea of fridge picture. You are pretty !!!
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I LOVE the fridge shot! You are such an artist. And let me just say again, how much I love that profile photograph!
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Hi, I loved this recipe. I had totally run out of ideas for my gluten free teenager needing a change for lunch at school. It has been a great hit.
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Ohhh yea this is probably what i called the omelette rolls i was planning to make
Bookmarking this one 
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Hey Sala…
I was reading abt julienned peppers… How would sauteing peppers be? I think it would give rise to more water but i jus wanted to know what you thought…
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Sauteed peppers will be great too. They wont get watery.
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Anu menon Reply:
August 12th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Okys… will do
… I jus hope i have all time time to make these and click pics and feed them to the 8 guests 
Luv it that you get back…
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Inspired by the pics and the inside the fridge idea
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This is such a fun idea!
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how long can they be stored prior to eating?
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
about a day
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i want to do it, but i have one question. can i substitute watercress with spinach???
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
April 5th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Yes! Use tender baby spinach!
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Hi! I discovered your website only yesterday! And I immediately jumped up with joy, went straight to the kitchen and started chopping and cooking up! I have recently moved to the US from India and have wanted to be a little more creative with my cooking — up until now I have been slow and dull about it. I must say, though I have only tried two simple recipes off your website…my husband and I LOVED every bit of ‘em! And I have actually started enjoying the whole process! Thank you so much for these incredible recipes and some stunning pictures that just make you want to start making everything! You’re fabulous and I’m a fan already!
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Pinned and hope to make!
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