French Fridays with Dorie: Potato Chip Tortilla
I was absent for the past couple of weeks, so it’s good to be back for French Fridays with Dorie! My excuse was an extended celebration of my 50th birthday. This week’s Potato Chip Tortilla was an easy way to return. Tortilla is Spanish for frittata. Though Dorie recommends this recipe as a light lunch or appetizer, I served this near-instant baked omelet for dinner.
I couldn’t believe how easily this came together. And, the ingredients are things I usually have around. We get a dozen eggs every other week from Howard’s co-worker’s chickens. Miraculously, the sage in my back door herb garden is hanging in there, so was homegrown. And there’s often a near-forgotten bag of chips leftover from a weekend lunch that’s hanging around in the snack drawer.
Here’s what you do: You crush half a bag of potato chips (I used reduced fat chips), then whisk together eggs, scallions, fresh herbs (I used sage and parsley), garlic, and a pinch of red pepper and combine with the chips. Then, you cook the eggs in a small well-oiled cast-iron skillet. The pan I used was about 7 inches which gave nice height to the tortilla. I thought it might be a little tall, so I gave it a few extra minutes and cooked it for about 5 minutes on the stovetop, until mostly set, then it spent a minute or two under the broiler to finish the top. The tortilla slid right out of the pan onto a cutting board, where I cut it in half and served it for dinner with a green salad on the side.
It was a hit! Howard loved it as did I. This would be great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s the perfect thing to use up a leftover bag of potato chips.
Along with not being able to cook with my cyber-friends the past couple of weeks, I’ve missed being able to read their blogs too. You can check out the other Dorista’s posts about their tortillas here. If you’d like the recipe, you’ll have to buy the book, Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. If you don’t have it, it’s the perfect holiday gift for you or your favorite home cook.
I’m looking forward to next week’s recipe, Crème Brulée, my favorite restaurant dessert, but something I’ve never tried at home! Until then, Happy French Friday!
Bella Loves Challah
Different dogs define high-value treats differently. Most dogs go for liver treats, or bully sticks, or rawhide bones. My dog Bella likes all of those, but what she goes nuts for, what she’ll do anything you ask for, is a little bite of challah. Who would have known?
A very obedient Bella, enticed by a bite of challah
Howard will often pick up a loaf of Cheryl Ann’s challah at Russo’s Market in Watertown. We eat some, and Bella eats some. She is very obedient when there is challah in the house.
On release, Bella goes for the gold
With our wealth of leftovers last week, the last loaf that Howard brought home was languishing. Then, when I was browsing the latest Williams-Sonoma catalog, I spied a frittata recipe that called for toasted cubes of brioche. One egg bread is like another. I also had some mushrooms, roasted peppers, and cheddar in the fridge along with plenty of eggs. Frittata for brunch! Actually, we had it for brunch on Sunday and for dinner (with a salad) tonight.
I don’t have the fancy two-sided Williams-Sonoma pan the recipe was written for, but my cast-iron skillet did the job just fine.
Lodge Brunch Frittata
Adapted from this recipe from Williams-Sonoma
Serves 4-8
3 cups challah cubes, cut into 1-inch cubes (no need remove the crust)
10 eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ¼-inch cubes
½ cup sliced scallions (about 4 scallions)
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 roasted red or yellow pepper, sliced thin (from a jar is fine)
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool. (You can do this the night before.)
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the bread cubes, cheese, and scallions. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. At the same time, in another skillet, heat the other tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add the onions and roasted pepper to the pan with mushrooms and stir to combine.
Now add the egg mixture to the mushrooms in the skillet and stir to evenly distribute the vegetables throughout the egg. Cover the skillet and cook for 10-12 minutes. Periodically, remove the cover and run a spatula around the edge of the pan. Preheat the broiler while the eggs cook. When the eggs are mostly cooked and only slightly wet on top, place the skillet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the eggs are cooked through.
Cut into wedges and serve.
A Plateful of Happiness 