Ahhh, Frittata!

By Perry Washburn

Ok, make sure you have read Kathie's post on frittata below first, as this is a response to hers. But I thought it might be worth pulling out for another view.

Frittata is one of our favs, but we almost always make these stove-top, not baked. This comes from making dozens of these while camping...huge skillet, but no oven! I have a series of cast iron skillets I use for these, which I choose depending on the size of the crowd. My 15-inch skillet gets nearly double Kath's ingredients, and will feed a mob. The even heating and heat retention of cast iron, or a good skillet (I have All-Clad) helps at the end of this dish.

I made one of these Sunday morning for breakfast. I cheat with the potatoes, as I do for camping. Wash the potatoes, stick them with a fork, put on a paper towel and microwave for 5 minutes. For camping, these go into a plastic bag, once cooled, then into the cooler. For home use, just wait until they are cool enough to handle. Cube, perhaps 1/2 inch. Get the oil (or BACON GREASE!) hot, and add the potatoes. Ideally, you are looking for a single layer. Let them sit, don't be messing with them, until they are browned. Try to turn in layers with a spatula, to ensure more even browning. Again, once turned, try not to mess with them. The goal is to get the taters browned, staying in cubes, not mushed. You may need to add more oil half way in.

When the potatoes are getting close to done, add the onions. I consider this a must - potatoes like this are not "right" without onions. Don't be tempted to put the onions in too early. One of the reasons I microwave the potatoes is to get them done more quickly. I get impatient standing over a skillet waiting. And I DESPISE uncooked potatoes. But if you put the onions in before the potatoes are cooked through, you can end up with burned onions, which is about as bad as uncooked potatoes.

The rest of the ingredients - Kath uses bacon, peppers, chives - is up to personal preference. On Sunday morning, I hit the freezer for leftover pizza fixings and came up with some cooked sausage. I like all kinds of sausage, and concur with the chorizo! I also love leeks, green onions, celery and all kinds of peppers. For the skillet version, put the harder veggies - celery for instance - in with the onions. Add the softer ones like bell pepper when the onions are nearly translucent.

At this point, pour in the eggs/milk. Let it set and brown on the bottom. Cut into quarters and turn. Immediately sprinkle with cheese, and cover with a lid. When the cheese is melted, and eggs are browned on the other side, you are in business.