Using Leftovers.
Let me tell you about the time I made this potato and bacon frittata. Last night I didn’t cook dinner. I wasn’t feeling too well so got the husband to tend to the kids. Well, that meant cheese and vegemite sandwiches for them and he had leftovers from the night before. I know everyone gets sick at one point in time or another, but when I do I feel guilty for doing so. It’s the typical mummy guilt of needing to nurture the family and failing to do so. To me, that means being able to get a good meal onto the table… and definitely not cheese and vegemite sandwiches.
So the next morning when I woke up, I felt better. That meant I kicked into gear and decided to make brunch for the family. It was my way to make up for not getting a tasty meal onto the table the night before. That’s when I decided to make a frittata. What I love about a frittata is you can add all sorts of vegetables into it so it’s a great way of using bit and pieces you have available in your fridge. I had a bag of baby spinach I needed to use up so included this in the recipe. I really love baby spinach. It’s amazing what you can add this to – salads, pastas, risottos, soups and egg-based dishes like quiches and frittatas.
So what exactly is a frittata?
The name “frittata” comes from the Italian verb “friggere” which means to fry. It’s a meal thrown together with leftovers. Frittata isn’t a formal meal you’d find in an Italian restaurant. That doesn’t mean it’s any less delicious! A frittata is also known as the Italian version of an omelette. You usually cook a frittata in a frying pan in either the stove or oven. (source: Wikipedia)
Now for the million-dollar question… did the kids enjoy it? They loved it! But then they love baby spinach, or baby leaves as they call it. My youngest had three helpings of it and ate every little bit on her plate. In fact, her three helpings ended up being more than that either me or hubby ate!
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Potato and Bacon Frittata
Ingredients
- 60 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 60 g mozzarella cheese, grated
- 600 g potatoes, diced
- 200 g bacon, finely diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 100 g fresh spinach leaves
- 8 Eggs
- 200 ml cream
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch Pepper, ground
Instructions
- Chop potatoes into 2cm cubes. Add into a pot and cover with water. Boil until potato is cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain.
- In a mixing bowl, add cream, eggs, salt and pepper. Whisk to mix together.
- In an oven-safe frying pan (eg. all metal with no plastic/rubber) add oil, onion and bacon. Cook on medium high heat for 5 minutes until onion is golden and bacon is a little crispy.
- Add the potatoes into the frying pan and mix with the onion and bacon to distribute. Add baby spinach on top and pour the egg mixture all over. Sprinkle with grated cheeses.
- Bake in oven 180°C for approx 20 minutes or until cooked and golden brown. Serve with a salad.
Notes
- Customise this recipe to whatever vegetables you have leftover in your fridge. Try these combinations:
- Leek and mushroom
- Zucchini and capsicum
- Asparagus and baby spinach
- Tomatoes and basil
- Broccoli and cauliflower
- Go with a completely vegetarian version, or substitute the bacon with either ham or sausage.
- Swap out the mozzarella cheese for feta or cheddar.