frittatastic

(*m.f.e.o: an amorous phrase, derived from Sleepless in Seattle meaning "made for each other")

Pop quiz time!  What did I mention in an earlier post as my favorite food?  Okay, I'll be nice and give you the answer: eggs.  Now before you judge that as a rather boring favorite food (when compared to the glory of chocolate or the flamboyance of coq au vin, for instance), let me explain.  Eggs are incredibly versatile, are delightful and nutritious breakfast, lunch or dinner and something I just never tire of eating.

And if these ellipsoidal wonders are my favorite food, well then my favorite thing to add to them is potatoes.  They just go together perfectly.  So, this morning I decided to make my favorite thing (eggs) with its favorite thing (potatoes) in my favorite way of late: a frittata.  With all those t's it has to be delicious. :)  I'll walk you through how I make a frittata with plenty of pictures.  It's very simple but has an elegance that regular ol' scrambled eggaroos lack.  My recipe makes a medium-sized frittata: enough for 2.  Let's get our frittata on, shall we?

 Take half of a large red new potato (or a whole small one): half and slice thinly.

Saute it on medium heat in a small non-stick skillet in 1 T butter.  Add a bit of salt (mine is a wee bit fancy: French fleur de sel that I purchased in Geneva, but any sea salt'll do) and fresh cracked pepper.

Thinly slice 1/4 of a medium onion and add that, too.  Saute for about 10 minutes until onions are soft and potatoes are lightly browned and tender.

Finely mince a small clove of garlic and add that to the potatoes and onions.  Turn down to medium-low and saute just for a few minutes, until fragrant.  (If you're thinking "Garlic? In eggs?!" fear not, it's amazing.)

Chiffonade (roll into a cigar shape and thinly chop) this much basil.  Mmm, basil.  You could also use thyme or parsley.

Whisk (with that same super-complicated tool) 2 eggs with 2 T of heavy cream.  Don't worry, 2 T is not all that much.  And in order to make your frittata light and fluffy, you're gonna need that cream.  Season with s&p and add the basil. (I'm waiting for my HEB product endorsement check any day...)

Add to potato mixture in skillet, lightly mixing. Then, leave it.  Let it hang out and do its thing until it's cooked around the edges, about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, get yourself a second cup of coffee.  You deserve it.

You can also be getting some cheese ready to top it with.  I tend to be a bit lazy and prefer to just chop cheese into tiny pieces while I'm already using my knife and cutting board instead of going to the trouble of getting out (and later washing) the grater.  I'm using colby jack because it's what I had, but you can use anything at all: parmesan (shaved off in big pieces remember!) would be uber elegant.

 This is how your eggs should look, set at edges and loose on the top.

Broil it in the oven until the top is set and starting to brown (see pic above).  **Warning: this happens super fast!** It really will only take about 30 seconds. Take it out of the oven, add your cheese on top and stick it back under the broiler for another 30 seconds or so, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Here's your glorious, rustic potato basil frittata.

 Enjoy!  I had mine with an english muffin for breakfast, but you could have this for lunch between toasted ciabatta bread with a bit of mayo, tomato and arugula (rocket) as an amazing sandwich.  Or for dinner, pair with a nice crisp pinot grigio and a simple salad.

Bon appetit!
lilrevchef