Potato and Herb Frittata (and No Salt Vegetable Medley)

 

Mum and I were tuned into ZB Radio on a Saturday morning, listening to Nici Wickes talking about her latest recipes. Spanish Potato and Rosemary Tortilla was the recipe of the day, and Mum and I thought that sounded nice to make for our dinner, so we listened carefully to the ingredients and instructions. We didn’t write anything down, so what we ended up creating for our dinner was an estimation of the original recipe. I have listed what we did below, because our version included more ingredients, differed in measurements and instructions to the original recipe, but tasted great. This made quite a lot, so we had enough for dinner, then some for lunch the next day, and I got a fair chunk to take home to re-heat for another dinner.

 

POTATO AND HERB FRITTATA

4 potatoes (old potatoes are best as they are softer)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

5 eggs, lightly beaten (in a bowl large enough to contain all the ingredients)

Large tbspn butter

Just under half a cup of olive oil

½ tspn of chopped fresh rosemary

½ tspn of chopped fresh thyme

¾ tspn salt

Pepper, to taste

Chilli flakes

Grated cheese (optional, for topping)

 

Boil the potatoes until they are soft, but not fully cooked through. Drain, and slice into thick rounds.

Heat the butter in a pan. Add onion and cook until soft. Add the potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat, until they look like this:

When cooked, tip the potatoes and onions into the bowl containing the beaten eggs. Leave as much oil in the pan as possible (as the mixture will be tipped back into the pan).

Stir the potatoes and onions through the egg mixture to coat, and add the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, and chilli flakes. It is important to add the hot potato and onion mixture into the eggs as the heat helps to start setting the eggs while in the bowl.

Tip the mixture back into the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the base is set and browned enough to flip over. [If the top is taking a long time to set and looks too runny, place under the grill at about 230 degrees Celsius for a short time to help with setting]. When ready to flip the frittata over, (this is the tricky bit), carefully flip the frittata onto a large plate, and slide it back into the pan to cook until the other side is set.

[Optional: If adding a sprinkling of cheese on top, just a add little bit, and place under the grill for a short time to melt the cheese.]

The frittata is nice cut into large slices and served hot, or at room temperature. This keeps well in the fridge for another day and makes a lovely lunch served with salad and half a sliced avocado (avocado and potato go extremely well together).

 

NO SALT VEGETABLE MEDLEY

As a side dish to go with the frittata for dinner, we gathered up a selection of vegetables we had in the fridge, to create what Mum calls a ‘Vegetable Medley’. This is a very easy way to prepare and cook a variety of vegetables quickly.

Roughly chop small enough pieces to cook quickly:

Carrots

Leek

Pumpkin

Spring onion,

Brocolli,

Red pepper,

Celery

Place in a bowl that can go in the microwave, add about a ¼ cup of water, and place in microwave for 2 minutes. Then stir, and place back in microwave for another 2 minutes, stir and repeat (so it needs about 6 minutes total). This needs no salt as the vegetables cook in their own juices and are sweeter than if they were boiled or cooked in a stir-fry.