Frittata Pronounced “freet-TAH-tah”.

By definition, frittata is an open-faced (unfolded) omelet that originated in Italy – usually round in shape with other ingredients mixed into the egg mixture. Growing up this dish was more common to me than anything from McDonald’s – we ate it while observing meat free holidays, we ate it as a vegetable side dish, we at it for lunch with a salad and we *always* ate it in a sandwich. To me, frittata was on par with those comforting meatloaf sandwiches. In primary school I was always the child with the odd bag lunch (albeit the BEST lunch bag – that is until I had to start making my own lunch and then the quality greatly suffered). I seldom ever ate a ham and cheese sandwich, I ate prosciutto or egg salad or a breaded cutlet sandwich on sourdough bread, and I had no clue how lucky I was to eat such great food combinations.

Confession: Since it is nearly Sunday, it seemed appropriate to let you know that this post comes with a great deal of guilt. I was home sick and I tricked my mother, who hates photos/videos, to make the basic potato/egg frittata. She was anything but happy and she eventually complied, but know that she did this under protest. What I love most about this post is hearing her voice, watching her cook and that despite not wanting to do this vlog she did it for ME. It is really the little wins in life that are the most gratifying sometimes. Maybe someday she will even read this blog and smile like I do when I watch her cooking…love you mom!

Note: It seems that people looking at this post from Internet Explorer are not able to see the remainder of the post. I am working on resolving the problem. Please let me know if you would like the recipe and I will email it to you along w/the video links. ginavon@bowllicker.com

Potato Frittata

Ingredients

3 Russet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
8 eggs
1/4 cup fresh parsley (or 1 TBS dried)
1 TBS Italian Seasoning
1/2 – 1 cup olive oil + more for frying potatoes and onions
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large-size non-stick pan fry potatoes in hot olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once potatoes have become crispy and brown, remove from pan and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Using the same pan, add another light layer of olive oil and saute onions and garlic until onions become soft and translucent.

In medium size bowl, scramble eggs and add in parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix well.

In a deep-sided pan (or frittata pan) add 1/2 – 1 cup oil and cook on a medium-high heat (the oil should cover the bottom of the pan as well as go up the sides of the pan approximately 1/4 of an inch). Add in half of the egg mixture. Ensure the egg is covering the entire bottom of the pan by using a fork to pull the egg out towards the sides, covering up any visible holes in the mixture. Layer potatoes on top of the eggs, slightly pushing them down until all of the potatoes have been used. Cover the potatoes with the remaining egg mixture. Turn temperature down to medium-low. Using a spatula, gently press down around the edges and slightly pull the frittata away from the sides of the pan, moving it towards the middle. This will prevent the egg from burning and enable the mixture to further sink down into the pan. Cook 20-25 minutes on side one.
** If you are not using a frittata pan cover the top of the pan with a plate or a lid. In order to cook the frittata on the other side, invert it onto a plate and then put it back into the pan and cook the previously exposed side for 15-20 minutes – it is best to do this over the sink or a baking sheet to catch the excess oil.
** If you are using a frittata pan, it is recommended to turn the pan over while at the sink or over a baking sheet so that the oil does not spill out and cause a fire. Cook for 15-20 minutes.