Endlessly seasonal, the frittata makes a great meal. It is basically an open-faced omelet, eggs mixed with cooked vegetables and sometimes cheese, cooked very slowly in an open pan, then finished under a broiler, or not (since we don’t have one). This is a great asset during the Dark Days.  I made a lovely local organic kale and red pepper frittata a month or so ago, during the early days of the Dark Days Challenge, and this past week made a couple more, using potatoes and onions. I picked those ingredients because they reminded me of the classic Spanish “torta,” a shallow egg and potato dish that is made in a similar fashion.

I’ve had torta as part of a tapas event, and researched how it’s made. Many recipes call for cooking the sliced potatoes in olive oil before adding them to the eggs but I prefer to use steamed or lightly boiled potatoes, leaving the browned onions to add the flavor. I also made my torta in the manner of a frittata, but decreased the proportion of eggs to veggies.

I served one potato and onion combo with grated local carrots and sliced radicchio, and the other with pickled curried asparagus that I canned last spring. Both vegetable accompaniments sparked the richness of the egg and potato mixture.

To make a frittata, combine 3-5 lightly beaten eggs with precooked (and cooled) vegetables and grated cheese, if using.  Heat a pan and add butter to coat. Pour in the egg and vegetable mixture, turn the heat to low and cook slowly for about 15-20 minutes or until set. Place under the broiler to cook the top layer and brown (or cover with a lid at the end).

Categories: Dark Days Challenge, Greens, Potatoes, Vegetable gratinTags: Dark Days Challenge, Vegetable frittata