A couple of nights ago my dad and I made a potato-leek-lemon thyme frittata loosely based off of this recipe.
On Sunday after a secret tip I headed to the Hardware Store for some local, fresh produce from Lancaster County farms. Yes – you read that right – the Hardware Store! For produce! Between the cash register and the door knob selection was a sprawl of muddy red potatoes, wiry green beans, deep maroon colored cherries and pale green, marbled watermelons. Outside near the rakes and lawn mowers nestled in giant wood crates lay plump, bright red tomatoes, ears of corn, zucchini or courgettes as they say in French (how cute right?) and cucumbers. I also managed to snag a (free!) lemon thyme plant from Whole Foods. They let me have it for free because there was no price tag, but I’d like to think it was a complimentary customer appreciation gift. I am pretty sure I am single-handedly keeping them in business…
After searching for recipes that included lemon thyme I found this one and decided it would be hearty enough for my dad to want to eat. As soon as we got home from work, we went to work. Rinsing leeks, chopping onions, peeling potatoes, cracking fresh eggs (with bright yellow-orangey yolks!), sprinkling parmesan, sautéing, whisking, slicing and dicing. The smell of sizzling leeks and onions in olive oil (natural aphrodisiac) and the heady aroma of lemon thyme infused potatoes had me a wee bit dizzy. I was also majorly hungry. After reading this book, I’ve decided to limit my snacks to one per day, that way I eat more heartily at meal times. But I was (and have been) struggling a lot with that concept. I managed to limit my pre-dinner snacking to only a few bites of some vegetables here and there and a spoonful (ok, or 5) of some black-truffle infused hummus. (It’s the after dinner before bedtime snacking that really gets me.)
This recipe is a bit unusual as it calls for a vinaigrette on top of the frittata. My dad pointed out that much of the recipe such as preheating the oven to 200 degrees celcius pointed to the possibility of it being a European, most likely English, recipe. The spring onion vinaigrette on top of the frittata was an interesting and nice twist. The recipe was a bit “oniony” for my taste though and if I made it again I would definitely use less onion in the vinaigrette and less leek, and make sure to have fresh parsley instead of dried parsley.
Now, what to do with the two whole drawers of produce still in our fridge… Ratatouille, anyone?
P.S. here is the recipe we went with:
For the frittata you will need...
2 tbsp. butter
2 leeks (whites only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced) *If you are using leeks for the first time, keep in mind that they look like giant scallions. Also, you MUST rinse them or bathe them in water to remove sand-like sediment.
2 cloves of crushed garlic
8 sprigs lemon thyme with leaves picked
2 large russett potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
1 tbsp dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley)
1/2 cup parmesan
8 eggs
For the spring onion vinaigrette you will need...
2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1/2 tbsp. dried parsley (or 2 tbsp. fresh)
2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
1/4 cup olive oil
To make the vinaigrette simply place all of the ingredient in a food processor and mix until combined. Season with s&p to taste.
As for your frittata... first preheat oven to about 375. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a frying pain over medium heat. Add leaks and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until leeks soften.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining tbsp. of butter in an oven proof frying pain over medium high heat. Add the thyme, potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and drain on a paper towel. Add half of the potatoes to the leek mixture and season.
Place parsley, parmesan and eggs in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour egg mixture over leek mixture and stir gently. Transfer the pan into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until your frittata is "firm but slightly wobbly in the centre (it will continue to cook)."
Top with the reserved potatoes and drizzle with spring onion vinaigrette.
P.S. here is the recipe we went with:
For the frittata you will need...
2 tbsp. butter
2 leeks (whites only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced) *If you are using leeks for the first time, keep in mind that they look like giant scallions. Also, you MUST rinse them or bathe them in water to remove sand-like sediment.
2 cloves of crushed garlic
8 sprigs lemon thyme with leaves picked
2 large russett potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
1 tbsp dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley)
1/2 cup parmesan
8 eggs
For the spring onion vinaigrette you will need...
2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1/2 tbsp. dried parsley (or 2 tbsp. fresh)
2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
1/4 cup olive oil
To make the vinaigrette simply place all of the ingredient in a food processor and mix until combined. Season with s&p to taste.
As for your frittata... first preheat oven to about 375. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a frying pain over medium heat. Add leaks and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until leeks soften.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining tbsp. of butter in an oven proof frying pain over medium high heat. Add the thyme, potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and drain on a paper towel. Add half of the potatoes to the leek mixture and season.
Place parsley, parmesan and eggs in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour egg mixture over leek mixture and stir gently. Transfer the pan into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until your frittata is "firm but slightly wobbly in the centre (it will continue to cook)."
Top with the reserved potatoes and drizzle with spring onion vinaigrette.
No comments:
Post a Comment