Once we resolved to master the frittata this year, it was very tempting to quietly work on it behind the scenes and then reveal our new skill down the road with a big TA DA! Instead, we decided to take the humble route and share our baby steps along the way...
Our ultimate goal with this little adventure is to achieve a really fantastic Spanish tortilla. This is that gorgeously domed and elegant frittata that gets flipped in the pan and then sliced like a cake. It's golden and delicious-looking, and it makes us green with envy.
For our first post-resolution foray, we made a 4-egg frittata with potatoes and cooked it in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. We whisked the eggs with a little cottage cheese, sautéd the potatoes until tender, and then poured the eggs over top. Once it started to set, we stuck the pan under the broiler for a few minutes.
The resulting frittata was decent and definitely edible, but could use use some improvement. We liked using our cast-iron skillet, but four eggs made a pretty thin frittata. Next time, we'll try adding another egg or two. We'll also add a bit more seasoning - we used two teaspoons of an herbes de provence mix this time and will probably bump that up to at least a tablespoon next time.
We also felt that the frittata was a little dry. Next time we'll put it under the broiler a little sooner, we think.
To sum up:
Frittata: Take One
6-7 red potatoes, diced with skins on
1/2 red onion, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons seasoning
4 eggs
2 Tablespoons cottage cheese
Handful of shredded cheese
To keep for next time: Make in a 12-inch cast iron skillet, and keep the potatoes, onions, and salt the same.
To change for next time: Bump up the seasonings to 1-2 Tablespoons, increase the number of eggs to six (and adjust cottage cheese to compensate). We might also try a different kind of cheese with more flavor because the one we used got a little lost in this frittata. Also, put the pan under the broiler as soon as the eggs begin to set on the bottom.
Any other suggestions?
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You need more eggs and it looks like you scrambled them in the pan. To make a frittata, you don't move the eggs around, you poor them in and let them sit.
Definitely more eggs -- about 12 for a 12 inch cast iron using potatoes. I highly recommend cook's illustrated's frittata recipes, they've worked for me every time.
Both Martha Stewart and Cooking light have great frittata recipes on their sites. Even before I really knew how to cook I could make a decent frittata (or so my husband and I though). Isn't it mostly a stir and pour situation, with a little stove action and then the broiler. As my husband always counsels me - "don't over think it" : )
I always add milk or cream to the eggs. Let it sit on the stove - no strirring except to pull the egg away from the edges as it cooks to let the uncooked egg flow down. I use the pancake rule - when you can see bubbles come up through the egg then it is time to go in the oven. I've never used raw potatoes, don't know if the starchiness would make it dry. When you put it under the broiler it should puff up and get golden. I would try making one with just eggs, milk, and cheese to get the technique down.
for a tortilla you fry potatoes in olive oil, add onion halfway through, drain it, mix the potatoes with eggs (just keep adding until it looks "wet" enough), and then fry up the mixture, flipping halfway through. it's supposed to be a little wet in the middle. mmmmm.
First, list the above comments, not enough egg was used. For at 12" skillet I'd use at least 10 eggs and possibly 12 depending on the amount of filling.
I've made my fair share of tortilla's From Food and I'm currently using the Mark Bitten suggestion of par cooking the potatoes in the microwave prior to adding to the tortilla. It saves a lot of time. By the time the onions are done cooking the potatoes are done too.
When making the tortillia use very low heat once the potato, egg, onion mixture is added back to the pan. Otherwise the outside is burned and you still have a very liquid center.
A Spanish tortilla is NOT a type of frittata, but an entirely different dish. It's cooked in a different manner, NOT put under the broiler and is much more potato than egg in texture.
Thanks for all your great suggestions, everyone! This is great!
I did a long post on frittatas (frittate?) on my blog a while back:
http://tinybanquet.blogspot.com/2007/06/committee-descends-into-frittata.html
The short answer, though, is yes, more eggs! As for making a tortilla, this recipe from La Tienda looks good:
http://www.tienda.com/recipes/tortillamilagros.html
I've not tried it, but I have made other recipes from their site and they've turned out great.
funny - i just made spanish tortilla last nite. here's my version, which seems consistent with the many i've tried in spain, and is pretty close with mark bittman's from 'how to cook everything':
saute 2 med. waxy potatoes (i prefer them thinly sliced) in lots of olive oil, with generous seasonings of S P. cook til they're cooked (that's a weird explanation, but it should take about 20min.).
pull potatoes from the pan. warm more olive oil, and saute an onion. when translucent, add a couple cloves of minced garlic. saute briefly and add the potatoes back to the pan with the onion and garlic.
pour 6 beaten eggs (with a little minced parsley if you have it) over the potatoes, onion, and garlic. heat on med-low til the bottom's cooked. put it in the oven to cook the top. when you pull it out, toss some sea salt on to finish.
this last part is tough: let it sit for a bit. SO much better slightly warm. and better still? the leftovers the next day.
cheers!
We have frittatas just about every other week during the spring and summer months when that seasons produce is at its peak. What works for us, and we are only cooking for 2 adults, is 5 eggs and a 10 inch skillet. In addition to the half-n-half that we add, we also add a pinch of baking powder to get the eggs to puff up. Works every time and it makes a fantastic meal and even better leftovers (if there are any).