F is for: Frittata with Leeks and Potatoes

Potato, Leek and Gruyere Frittata is perfect for any meal

It happened again.

As I was chatting with some co-workers on Monday, someone asked what was on the menu for “F” week. After I listed off my recipes, my friend Mindi says “Frittata!” I tried to resist the urge to add another recipe to my plate this week (see what I did there?)…but eventually, I caved.

I just happen to have a pan in my cupboard *specifically* for making frittatas. And I also happened to have eggs, leeks, cheese and potatoes on hand…all perfect ingredients for making a delicious and basic frittata.

The other great thing about frittatas is they are pretty easy to make, so it really wasn’t that hard to add it to “F” week.

Frittatas are similar to omelettes…but are cooked and served a little differently. You can really use any combination of ingredients, but this is what I had in my fridge, so I went with leeks, parsley, potato, garlic, and cheese. (The cheeses are not pictured because I was still waking up when I took this picture and forgot to include them).

Leeks are in the same family as onion and garlic. They look like gigantic green onions or scallions but have a much milder taste. For this recipe, use the white portions up to the pale green portions. I like to cut them in half lengthwise so you can wash the dirt out of the layers. Then thinly slice them and saute them along with some garlic for 10-15 minutes, remove from pan and cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce (I like Tapatio) in a medium bowl. Stir in sauteed leeks, cooked/diced potato, parsley, Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses.

Pour into a pan (preferably nonstick) that has been heating with a little butter or oil. After it’s cooked for a minute or two, gently lift up the edges so that some of the uncooked egg can flow under. The key is you don’t want to stir or move it around too much. Slowly cook until eggs are mostly set, about 12-15 minutes. (And if photo turns out slightly blurry because of the horrible light in your kitchen, don’t hate yourself for it).

Here’s where the special Calphalon Frittata Pan comes into play. It’s actually two pans which interlock so that you can cover your frittata, lock pans into place, and swiftly turn it over and cook the other side. If you are using one of these pans, you need to first pre-heat the “top” pan on another burner with a little butter or oil. If you don’t have one of these lovely pans, you can flip it onto a plate and slide back into the pan you were using and/or you can finish the frittata off in the oven for about 5 minutes. (But make sure your pan is oven-safe).

Slide onto a plate and cut into “pie” pieces. The great thing about Frittatas is you can serve them hot, room temperature, or even cold. And they keep great in the fridge, so if you make it on Sunday or Monday, you’ll have breakfast ready to go for a couple of days. But you don’t only have to restrict your frittata eating to breakfast. You can have them for lunch, dinner…or even as a tapa, like they do in Spain (though there, it’s called Tortilla Espanola). Doesn’t it look delicious!? Add a little leftover turkey for a great post-Thanksgiving breakfast!