Potato Frittata

While I do love making complicated meals, there are some nights when all I want to do is throw something together quickly and eat dinner with a minimum of fuss.  This frittata is perfect for one of those nights where the absolute last thing you want to do is spend hours slaving away in the kitchen.  Served with a nice arugula salad, it makes a perfect meal for lunch or dinner.  The eggs are nice and fluffy, which is a nice textural contrast from the potatoes (which we sauteed until they were softened, but still retained a hint of firmness) and the chives provide lovely oniony flavor.  I don't usually find frittatas to be super filling (and I rarely order them at restaurants because they often come out so dry and flavorless), but the potatoes make the dish heartier and makes it all feel that much more dinner-appropriate.  Because as much as I love breakfast for dinner, sometimes you just need dinner for dinner!

Recipe after the jump!

Potato Frittata


INGREDIENTS:
1 small onion, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp evoo, plus additional as needed
1/2 lb. baby potatoes, thinly sliced with a mandoline (ours were less than 1/4-inch thick)
s&p
4 whole eggs, plus 4 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tbsp skim milk (added to eggs)
1 tbsp chives, minced
hot sauce (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Heat a large cast iron pan, or other heavy, oven-safe pan over medium-low heat.  Add butter and 1/2 tbsp evoo to the pan.  Throw in onions and sweat them until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Remove onions from the pan.  Add remaining 1/2 tbsp evoo and turn up the heat to moderate heat.  Toss potatoes into the pan and season with s&p.  Depending on the size of your pan you might have to cook the potatoes in batches.  Cook the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown in places, about 5-7 minutes.  If the pan starts to look a little dry, add additional evoo.  This will also help keep your frittata from sticking, but you don't want to end up with an oily mess so don't be too generous with the oil.  Also, if your potatoes are thicker, you will need to increase the cooking time otherwise you will end up with raw potatoes in your frittata and that's just not cool.  Gently pour egg and milk mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle with chives, additional s&p and smoked paprika.  Cook on the stove top until the sides of the frittata have set but the top is still a little runny.  Put the frittata in the oven and cook until the center has set and the eggs have puffed up a little, about 6-8 minutes.  Remove the frittata from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.


Serve warm with hot sauce (if desired).