No Frills Frittata

I think brunch foods have to be some of my favorites, because you can get away with eating them at any point in the day. The first time my mom made a frittata for dinner I thought she was nuts ("We're having eggs for dinner?"). When I realized that you could put whatever you wanted in it... well then it was a whole different ball game.

This is a go-to Sunday morning dish for me. As long as you have a few eggs and a vegetable, you're good to go. Taking after my dad, I've been known to throw in the leftovers from the previous nights dinner, but let's not get carried away.

That's exactly how I came to make the one this morning: I have eggs. I don't want fried eggs (again). I have leftover veggies and cheese from Fajita night. Kielbasa? FRITTATA!

Here we go.

No Frills Frittata
6 Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
1 tblsp Coarse Mustard (Like Gray Poupon)
1 tblsp Dried Basil
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

2 tblsp Butter
3 Red Bliss Potatoes (sliced thin)
1 small container Baby Portobello Mushrooms (sliced thin)
1 Bell Pepper (red or yellow, sliced thin)
1/2 Red Onion (yep, sliced thin)

3 Plum Tomatos (sliced... thin)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Pre-heat the oven to 350*F.

1) In a large skillet, melt 2 tblsp of butter over medium-low heat.

2) Once the butter is melted, add the onion and peppers. Saute them (slowly) until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute them until they are reduced.

3) Add the potatoes and turn the heat up to medium. Let the potatoes cook, stirring occasionally to let them brown. Cook them until they are al dente (if you don't want mushy taters. If you like them mushy, cook them until they are soft). Remove from heat.

4) In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, milk, mustard, basil, and cheddar cheese. Whisk until fluffy (like you were making scrambled eggs).


OKAY. So normally you would saute your veggies, etc. in an oven-safe pan (like a le creuset or cast iron pan), and then transfer the pan directly into the oven. If you don't have a pan like that (I don't), you can prep your filling, mix it with the egg, and then put it in a greased pie pan.

5) At this point either a) add the egg to your oven-safe pan and stir slightly to incorporate. Or, b) add the sauteed veggies to your egg mixture and stir to incorporate. Then transfer the contents of the bowl to a greased pie pan.

6) Lay sliced tomatoes around the top of the frittata. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

7) Cook on the middle rack of an oven for 20 minutes at 350*f. Increase the temperature to 400*f and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Once the cheese begins to brown, remove from the oven and let cool.

(Frit)TA-DAAAAA!