Potato & Bacon Frittata

I have always had a great love for eggs in the morning.  This was probably prompted by my amazing father.  Every school morning, while the girls (my mom, sis and myself) were upstairs getting ready, my father would be making us homemade "Egg McMuffins," McDonalds style.  It was a daily routine I always enjoyed, and the perfect amount of thoughtfulness from a terrific dad.

As the years have passed, eggs are still my favorite morning food.  So a few years ago, when I first discovered frittatas at my favorite Brooklyn bakery, I knew I had to start making them at home.  They are the perfect breakfast or brunch menu item, especially when you are hosting guests.

I have tried a few frittata recipes from online, and have been reasonably happy with all of them.  This past weekend, however, I decided to play my own frittata game in the kitchen.  And with a fridge full of goodies, I filled my counters with lots of great ingredients and went to town.

Total time: approximately 1 hour

• 4 small potatoes (boiled until soft, then cooled and sliced)
• 6 eggs, whisked
• 1 cupped of shredded cheese (I prefer combining cheeses such as cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, monteray jack)
• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped bacon *please consider using Morning Star bacon strips, it gives you all of the great flavor of real bacon!
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/8 cup parsley, chopped
• salt, pepper
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

First, boil 4 small potatoes (I prefer the taste of butter potatoes for this recipe) for 20 minutes, then drain, cool and slice into thin pieces.  To a large, oven-safe pan, add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt.  Saute the chopped onion until it softens, then add the chopped bacon*, garlic, potatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, whisk 6 eggs together (you may want to add a dash of milk) along with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and the chopped scallions.  After the potatoes have browned a bit, pour the egg mixture over the entire pan of potatoes.  Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes without touching or moving the mixture.  Finally, transfer skillet to oven and bake at 375 for approximately 20 minutes.