30 December 2008

Frittata Fusion

Once again, kudos to Deborah Madison's 'Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone' for serving as a field guide to the recipe I just invented. I took her process for a basic potato 'straw cake' and went a little crazy with it. It turned out well. It's one of those nights where all we had in the fridge was two potatoes, three eggs, and a few random other veggies; but a dish like this makes it look like you did it on purpose. ;)

I created a little semi-roasted topping for these fusion-frittatas which I'll also post here, but one of the great things about potatoes & eggs is that they're so easy to pair with other stuff; feel free to invent your own topping out of whatever leftover veggies you have in your fridge.

By the way, I impressed the hell out of my hubby just by serving the topping in these cool ramekins instead of on the straw cakes or next to them. Presentation is half the battle. (The other half is an easily impressed significant other... ha ha ha...) The ramekins also ensured that just in case the topping failed, it wouldn't taint the frittata, which you really could eat on its own if you felt like it.

Fusion Frittatas

~ 1 lb potatoes, washed & peeled
3 eggs
2 Tbs butter
garlic powder
cayenne
fresh ground sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Grate the potatoes on the large holes of a grater; if they're high starch, rinse them in cold water and towel-dry. Heat a small cast-iron skillet that's a couple inches deep over medium heat. Once it's hot, melt 1 Tbs butter in it, then add half the potatoes, patting down into a circle. Add garlic powder, cayenne, salt & pepper to taste, then add the other half of the potatoes. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook 10-15 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a small bowl and add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Once your eggs are prepped and the potatoes are cooking, it's a good time to prep & make the topping (recipe below).

When it's time to flip your frittata, put a plate over the skillet and flip the whole thing upside down, so that the potatoes are on the plate. Add the other tablespoon of butter and slide the potatoes back into the skillet. Cover again, but turn up the heat a little, to medium-low-ish. After 10 or so minutes (when the bottom is becoming golden), pour the eggs on top and cover again for 3-5 minutes. Uncover and do the plate-flipping thing again, but without adding any more butter, and let the eggs cook on the bottom (without the lid) for another 3-5 minutes to your desired doneness. Slide back onto the plate so that the eggs are still on the bottom, and do one last round of sea salt and a little pepper. Cut into wedges as you would pie, and serve immediately with the topping on the side.

Serves 2.

Red Pepper, Garlic & Tomato Topping

1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/2 red pepper (about 2 tablespoons), diced
1 roma tomato, finely diced
1/2 Tbs butter
fresh ground salt & pepper to taste
~1/4 tsp smoky seasoning (we love Penzey's Northwoods Fire Seasoning)

Heat a small, thick saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic & red pepper and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently and removing from the heat as necessary - you are basically using the hot pan to roast the veggies. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the butter, salt, pepper, and smoky seasoning, and continue stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for about 2 minutes before stirring in the diced tomato. This topping doesn't need to be hot when served with the straw cakes.

Also serves 2.