Sweet Potato Crusted Frittata



I really am not sure what has happened to December...it has been one huge whirlwind of a month for me.  I barely have had time to do my dishes, let alone go Christmas shopping.  So the other night we had a window of an hour and a half to go grocery shopping, do dishes, cook dinner, sit down to eat it and then off to an evening meeting.

The other day I saw a frittata recipe layered with sweet and red pototoes.  I thought of it on the busride home as a quick and easy recipe to whip up with a side of shredded Brussels sprouts...a good solid dinner to fuel us for the rest of the evening.

Last summer I was inspired to buy a mandoline after my mom told me how great her new one was.  After months of looking around at every kitchen store, I came upon an inexpensive one at Ross with all kinds of interchangable blades.  It has been such a nice addition to my kitchen.  You can decide how thick or thin to slice things, and it comes with a safety guard so you don't slice your fingers off.

So to start the frittata, I 'mandolined' the red potatoes and the sweet potatoes.  It literally took under a minute!  Then to save a little time, I put them on a plate and microwaved them for 2 minutes, turned, and 2 minutes more.

For the rest of the dish, I chose red peppers, garlic and dried parsley.  We used egg substitute because that is what I had on hand and also did it cheese-less for something a little lighter.  But cheese would definitely make it even better.  I spiced it up with black pepper and red pepper flakes too.  But any variety of vegetables and spices would work.

The final product right before putting in oven

I have to say...this recipe was even better than I expected, especially without adding cheese.  There were so many different textures and flavors to chew through.  The sweetness of the potatoes, the crunch of the peppers and the peppery bite in the aftertaste made for a complete meal.

Sweet Potato Crusted Frittata

1 medium sweet potato

1 medium red potato

Olive oil

1/2 red pepper, diced

2 large cloves of garlic, diced and divided

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

1/2 cup egg substitute or 2-3 eggs

1 Tbsp dried parsley

Prep the potatoes by slicing with a mandoline, food processor or carefully with a knife.  Toss with a little olive oil, put on plate, cover with napkin and microwave for 2 minutes, turn, 2 more minutes.  In a large pan, layer the potatoes and cook on medium heat.  I alternated between covering and uncovering the pan.  Flip the potatoes occasionally to adequately brown them.  Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper to give them some extra flavor.  You may need to add a litte extra oil, to avoid charring them.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

On another burner, heat a small pan on medium heat and add a little olive oil.  Saute the red peppers and half of the diced garlic.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste.  Saute for just 1-2 minutes because they will cook again in the frittata.  Turn off heat and set aside.

When potatoes are done, (not the raw crisp taste anymore), transfer them to a medium oven safe saute pan, lightly coated in oil or Pam.  Layer them as flatly and evenly as possible.  Sprinkle the red peppers and some red pepper flakes.  Pour in the eggs.  Turn heat on medium.  Add the rest of the garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.  Cook on stove top until the egg seems to be firming up on the sides.  Transfer to the heated oven.  Keep in oven until the frittata is fully cooked and browned on top. You can put it on broil right at the end to quicken the browning process.

Take out and slice into wedges with pizza cutter.  Serve with a side of your favorite vegetables or as a brunch or dinner item.