The Houndstooth Gourmet

Frittatas, basically Italian omlettes, are extremely versatile. Cooked on the stove-top and finished under the broiler, frittatas meld their various ingredients into a somewhat dense, delicious, and versatile pie that can be served any time of day, from scratch dinners, to mimosa-filled brunches.

Making a frittata takes following a recipe only once, as preparation is more of a method, rather than a series of precise measurements, techniques and temperatures.

At home, I use a 10-inch non-stick skillet with straight sides to saute aromatics such as onions and garlic, along with whatever I have on hand for the filling. Filling, aside from whisked eggs (generally 4-8, depending on the size of your skillet) can be just about anything you’d like-vegetables, pasta, potatoes, cheese and meats in any combination will work.

For this frittata, I sauteed chopped asparagus, cooked and cubed red potato, shredded country ham, and ramps. Next, I poured over 6 whisked eggs to which I added a splash of cream and a handful of shredded fontina (which is among the most fabulous melting cheeses). The mixture cooked over medium heat as my oven’s broiler came up to temperature. Occasionally, I used a rubber spatula to run around the edge of the frittata as it set about half-way.

In the broiler, the frittata continued to cook 4 inches from the heating element until it set (with just a little wiggle when shaken) and became golden brown. After letting the frittata rest for a couple minutes, I flipped it onto a serving plate and it released instantly.

If you are bringing the frittata to the table for presentation before cutting, I suggest placing another plate on top, and giving the frittata another flip to show off the golden top.

As for the taste of this frittata-delicious! However, after eating ramps for 3 days in a row now, I have to say, I’m beginning to reek a bit. They’re starting to repeat on me, and it’s not pretty. To wit-this is my bichon frise before I burped up Appalachian weed breath on him:

This if after:

Yeah, not pretty*.

*note to self-give Cole a bath tomorrow.

Tags: asparagus, breakfast, brunch, cheese, eggs, potatoes, Recipe by Ramona
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……or what to do with leftover pommes dauphinoise.

Over the weekend, I watched an episode or two of Top Chef season 3. If you’re a fan, you may remember the episode where the cheftestants were told to make a dish featuring chicken, potatoes and onions. It was a brilliant challenge. Think about those humble ingredients and how many dishes are made from them. From chicken pot pie, to chicken and potato casserole, it’s a cheap and accessible combination of food.

Last years’ winner of TC was Hung, who for this particular challenge, made butter poached chicken with pomme dauphinoise and a gorgeous looking au jus sauce. The dish, especially the potatoes, got rave reviews, as did Antonia’s (current season) potato gratin.I have since wondered what makes these potato preparations so magical; after all, it’s just scalloped potatoes, right? Or, was I  missing something?

I looked online for Hung’s pommes dauphinoise recipe to no avail. But, I did find this recipe, written by James Beard. Given the author, I thought “no need to look further, this is the real deal”.  The only thing I changed was the cheese. I had sharp cheddar on hand, and it worked nicely.

So, in the process of researching and making this recipe, I think I have learned a few things. I know for sure, that these were the best damn scalloped potatoes I had ever eaten. Here’s why-first, you have to use heavy cream. I used to make a bechamel sauce to simulate the thickness of cream, but the flour can make the sauce too thick over the course of baking. It was just never creamy in the end. The second thing I learned was to trust myself to cut the potatoes thin, and not use a mandoline to get them too thin. The potatoes held up much better when they were slice about 1/8 inch thick. Imperfectly, by the way!  My slicing them super think was due to concern that they would not be perfect and cook thoroughly. How many times have you or someone you know said “the potatoes have been cooking forever, and they’re still not cooked!!”

*raises hand*

Well, this recipe calls for the potatoes to be cooked uncovered-for a total of two hours in a low oven. Again, thinking that my potatoes wouldn’t cook through, I would turn the oven up to 425-450 and cook those suckers through. If the dish was boiling, well then good. That meant cooking them through. No need. Uncovered in a low oven for a  long period of time produced creamy, fully cooked potatoes that were infused with the fresh minced garlic that goes in between the potato  layers.

I’m telling you, try this recipe (and then walk 3 miles because there is a pint of cream in it *sigh*). I learned so much from this preparation of a humble ingredient. The best part was the leftovers, because the potatoes taste even better the next day.

Which brings me to this frittata. I’ve written about making frittatas previously, and can only say that once you’ve made one frittata, you will have endless possibilities using this method. I say method, and not recipe, because you can make your frittata, your way.

Here’s what I did; I cut a few sprigs of rosemary from my herb garden and minced the leaves. I sauteed about a half of a diced onion in a tablespoon of butter and tossed in the rosemary. After about a minute, I added about a cup of the leftover pommes dauphinoise and spread them evenly. I allowed them to warm through and brown a bit for 4-5 minutes. Then, I added 6 eggs, whisked, along with salt and pepper. I added a cup of shredded sharp cheddar on top and cooked the frittata until it was set on the bottom and sides. The frittata then went into the oven, under the broiler, until it was set and lightly browned.

I let the frittata sit on the counter for 5 minutes, before I put a large plate over the top of the pan, and turned it over to release it. Some potatoes stuck to the bottom, but I scraped them up and threw them back on top. No biggie!

This was a winner combination. The rosemary complimented the potatoes, and as with the potatoes themselves, the frittata was even better the next day. That would be breakfast today. Yum.

Tags: cheese, potatoes by Ramona
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Don’t you just love asparagus season? I confess that I buy asparagus year round-I love it. But the purple-tipped local asparagus at the farmers markets is really special, and I wanted to make a recipe to showcase them.

For DC Foodies, I created a Mother’s Day brunch menu, incuding this frittata, a warm spinach salad and rosemary potatoes. It was easy and so delicious. Frank gave the frittata two thumbs up when I made this meal for dinner recently.

 Go check it out here!

Tags: asparagus, breakfast, brunch, cheese, DC Foodies entry, eggs, ham, potatoes, salad, spinach by Ramona
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 As I reported in the most recent At The Market, I bought a large bunch of really fresh and fragrant dill last Sunday from Gardener’s Gourmet. The first dish in which I incorporated the dill is gnocchi. Gnocchi (roughly pronounced NYOK-kee) are Italian dumplings and are named for gnocco, which is slang for “lump”.

Gnocchi are made from potatoes and other ingredients. They can be used as pasta and be accompanied by a variety of things, from a light tomato sauce, to braised meats, to butter and cheese.

Gnocchi recipes reach back to as far as the 12th century are are most common to Northern Italy. Typically, gnocchi are made by boiling potatoes, followed by ricing them, adding flour, egg and salt. Kneading this dough together is quick and portions of the dough are then rolled into batons and cut into 1 inch long pieces. The gnocchi pieces are then rolled on a fork, or gnocchi roller to give them their signature ridges which are great for holding sauce. Once formed, the gnocchi are quickly cooked in boiling water and are done when they float to the top.

After cooking, gnocchi can be added to a dish, or fried in butter to name just a couple ways to use them.

Here’s a recipe for gnocchi which is adapted from Mario Batali’s recipe on Food Network’s website. You will notice that I chose to use Yukon Gold potatoes as a change from more traditional Russett potatoes. The result was still light, yet creamy and the dough came together quickly without having to add more flour (which has unfortunately been a problem which has bitten me in the ass before- I call those gnocchi “sinkers”).

I served the gnocchi browned in butter and topped with Pecorino Romano cheese. The recipe makes about 90-100 gnocchi, but don’t fear, they freeze well and cook up frozen only a bit slower than when fresh.

To freeze, place the gnocchi on a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid. Store frozen gnocchi is an airtight Ziploc baggie.

Herbed Gnocchi with Dill and Pecorino

makes 90-100 gnocchi

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
• 2 cups All Purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dill
• 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (more for garnish)

Directions

Peel and quarter potatoes, keeping size uniform. Rinse potatoes in cold water. Place potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow potatoes to simmer, partially covered, until a fork is easily inserted (about 20  minutes).

Drain the potatoes in a collander and allow to cool for several minutes. Using a food mill or ricer, run potatoes through onto a lightly floured surface. Bring milled potatoes together and make a well in the center. Sprinkle all of the flour, dill and Pecorino cheese over the potatoes. Place egg and salt in the center of the well, and using a fork, stir into flour and potato. Once the egg is mixed in, bring the dough together by kneading it gently until a ball is formed. Knead for 3-4 minutes until the ball is dry to the touch.

Lightly four surface and your hands. Cut a 1 inch thick slice of the dough ball off. Gently roll into a baton or rope, until 1 inch thick throughout. Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces. Using your thumb, roll each piece (uncut side) on the tines of a fork, or gnocchi roller. Here’s a great pictorial from Food Network to guide you through this technique.

To cook gnocchi, place in boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes, until they float. Transfer to sauce, or as I did, fry them up in a bit of butter, until browned, in a non-stick skillet. Sprinkle with extra Pecorino Romano.

Enjoy!

*Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. This week, WHB is hosted by Thyme For Cooking.

Tags: cheese, herbs, pasta, potatoes, Recipe by Ramona
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To get this recipe, see Bistro At Home-Potato Leek Soup over at DC Foodies.

Tags: DC Foodies entry, potatoes, soup by Ramona
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