Even Easier Frittatta Recipe

Back when we had laying hens, eggs were on the menu pretty darn often. We've been in an egg drought lately, but thankfully many of my new friends also have chickens. We're back in egg business! Not only back in business, back in excess: a friend gave me an extra dozen at the end of market last Sunday, so we've got a lot of eggs on our hands. What do i always think of for dinner when we have lots of eggs on hand?? Frittatta, of course! That impossible to spell, easy to cook, perfect dinner or brunch meal. 1 frittatta is perfect for a main course for 2 or a side for 4. Chock full of protein, and completely maliable to whatever seasonal veg you have in the garden or fridge, frittattas truly are the perfect weeknight meal.

I've cooked several variations of this dish in the past, from Some Kinda Chef's inspired version to my stand-by cooked to perfection, without a recipe for my Grandmother's 90th birthday. As with many of my recipes, my frittattas are always just suggestions rather than rules. The method is generally the same, but the ingredients seasonal. I fiddled with my method the other night, however. And it was delicious!  I usually saute the vegetable ingredients first, set them aside, layer sliced potatoes back in the warm pan, top with the veg, and top with beaten eggs mixed with optional milk and cheese. This time i skipped the sautee, and the results were different, but great!

Even Easier Fritatta Recipe

• 3 small new potatoes or one large baking potato, microwaved for about a minute and sliced very thinly
• 2 chard leaves, chopped finely (or kale, or spinach, or....)
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 elephant garlic clove, or 2 regular garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large tomato, or 2 small tomatoes
• 1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 small cauliflower head, sliced (or broccoli)
• 6 eggs
• splash milk
• Herbs/seasonings: salt, pepper, basil, paprika, etc
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Instead of sauteing the veggies, i started the layer right away. A thin drizzle of olive oil first, then the layer of potato slices. Keep the slices thin and overlap them slightly. This layer is your 'crust.' I used those purple majesty potatoes again: yum! Fry the potatoes for a few minutes on med/high heat without stirring them at all. You could put a lid on the pan for this part - you just want to be sure the potatoes will get soft and cooked in the oven. Preheat to 375. Turn off the heat to the pan and start layering the veggies. You don't have to wait for the pan to cool. I layered min in this order, but you can mix it up however you'd like. Jalapenos, onions, garlic first layer. Cauliflower second layer. Cheese. Zucchini slices (round slices, not overlapping). Chard to cover the rest, be sure it's chopped up pretty well. Top with the egg mixture: 6 beaten eggs with a splash of milk and any herbs/seasonings you like. The eggs might not 'cover' all the veggies, but that's okay. The final layer should be thinly sliced tomatoes arranged evenly spaced on the top. The juice from the tomatoes will help counteract the shortness of the egg mixture, and all will end up cooking down and amalgamating themselves together.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked through: the top should bounce back if pressed and their shouldn't be any egg gooeyness apparent. Enjoy with a delicious fresh salad of seasonal salad greens, fresh un-cooked corn, fresh raw shredded beats, bell peppers, a little more fresh tomato, some roasted sunflower seeds and a splash of oil and vinegar. This is a late Summer meal fit for anyone's table! Gorgeous! (Too bad my camera has been having a hard time focusing in the dim light of my new kitchen, after being dropped by my 'sous chef' of a husband. Snarf.)

This post is part of the Simple Lives Thursday blog hop!