Frittata!

A fancy name for the hum drum Omelet. Here are two of my favorites. The first is an old standby, the second is a newer one, adapted from Emeril Lagasse. All the fresh veggies freak my 6-year old out a little, but the rest of us loved it.


Ham, Potato and Cheddar Frittata

What you need:
3 Tbs. butter
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (or you can use ~2 cups frozen hash browns)
1 small onion, chopped
8 lg. eggs, whisked
1/4 cup milk
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (kick it up a bit with more pepper)
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 lb cubed ham (I sometimes leave this out if I don't have it)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat skillet to medium heat and melt butter. Sauté onions and potatoes 8-10 minutes (raw potatoes take longer), stirring frequently. Add pepper for 2 more minutes. Whisk eggs and milk together, pour over potatoes. Salt and pepper well (eggs are not good unseasoned!). Add ham and cheese. Cover with lid and cook over low or medium-low till knife inserted comes out clean. Put uncovered skillet in oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes (wrap your plastic handle with foil) to brown.



Emeril's Vegetable Frittata

What you need:

8 large eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small or 1/2 medium zucchini, about 5 ounces
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced green onions (green tops only)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped green onions, for garnish

Whisk together eggs and milk with half the salt and pepper, set aside.

In a medium skillet, sauté the veggies in butter in this order: 1st the zucchini and mushrooms (till tender), 2nd the peppers and onion tops (till tender), 3rd the garlic and herbs for just a short time (under a minute) until the garlic is fragrant. Don't forget to use the rest of your salt and pepper on the veggies. Stir in over half your cheese.

Pour on the eggs, and cook, use a spatula occasionally to let the egg run under itself, about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle on the rest of your cheese, take off the heat, and place in oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, or in your broiler for about 2 minutes. If you do this, watch your pan! The eggs burn really quickly in the broiler.

Garnish with some fresh parsley and you've got yourself a complete meal!