Farmer's Market Frittata
One of my favorite things about summer in the city is the farmer’s markets. I love getting a cup of coffee and taking a leisurely stroll through a vibrant markets, checking out the freshest in-season vegetables, and petting all the dogs that are out and about. I mean what’s not to love - fresh air, colorful fruits and vegetables, and the feeling of being part of your community. It also takes me back to growing up in India, walking around with my dad or my grandfather, tote bag in tow, learning how to pick the good vegetables from the not-so-good. We would then make our way to the fish market and pick out that Sunday’s lunch; as terrible as all fish markets smell, it’s one of my fondest memories. I recreate that routine almost every summer weekend - turns out, the nostalgia and fresh produce are great ingredients to inspire creativity.
Frittata is one of my go-to dishes for Sunday brunch at home, for two or for a crowd. The basic idea is to saute your ingredients, pour over a few beaten eggs, and bake in the oven. It comes together quickly and is really versatile - you put whatever you want and you can scale it up or down easily. If you’re a “breakfast for dinner” kind of person, this is a great option as well. This Sunday, I landed on some sweet potatoes, chicken breakfast sausage, lots of green onions, shallots, and beautiful, curly garlic scapes. Sweet potatoes can be sort of one dimensional so I seasoned the dish with smoked paprika, cumin, honey, and some chilies, to create a better sweet-salty-earthy balance. You can use whatever vegetables you have handy - potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, cauliflower, and more. Just cook them in the pan until they are about 70-80% cooked through and then stick the pan in the oven to finish cooking. You will see mine is “goodies” heavy - if you want a thicker egg presence, use a smaller skillet or use more eggs.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
8-10 oz sweet potatoes, cubed
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
3-4 garlic scapes, sliced or 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
1/2 Serrano chili, thinly sliced
10-12 oz uncooked breakfast sausage
3-4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp honey
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lime to squeeze before serving
Basil leaves to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil to the pan. Once the oil begins to shimmer and almost smoke, add the shallots and sweet potatoes to the pan. Cook for 5 mins, stirring once or twice.
Next, add the garlic scapes, spring onion whites, and Serrano chili, and cook for another 5 mins, tossing once or twice. Once the sweet potatoes and shallots have picked up color, add the breakfast sausage in chunks. Spread them throughout the dish and leave undisturbed to cook for 3 mins; toss everything once more and cook for an additional 2 mins.
Next, add the smoked paprika, cumin, honey, salt and pepper and toss everything well. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl with the milk and pour over the vegetables, shaking gently to help the eggs spread throughout the pan.
Now place the skillet in the oven and cook for 10-12 mins, depending on your oven. Remove carefully from the oven and grate the cheese over your skillet. Finish with a sprinkling of the remaining green onion greens, basil leaves, and a squeeze of lime.
Handle the skillet carefully and serve slices of the frittata using a flexible spatula or a pie server.
