Frittata!!

Here's a fun, easy recipe that makes for a perfect Sunday brunch:

Potato Frittata

10-12 small red potatoes, thinly sliced

4 eggs, beaten

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper

Dash of poultry seasoning

Fresh herbs (I used thyme & rosemary, but choose whatever you like.)

4-6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Thinly slice potatoes, and set aside.

*If using bacon, cook the bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil, turning once. When bacon is crisp, remove from oven, and blot on paper towels before crumbling. Set aside.

* In a 10-inch, oven-proof frying pan, over medium heat, add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

* Add the sliced potatoes to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Cook until the potatoes become soft, and the edges start to brown.

*Lower the flame slightly, and add the beaten eggs. Immediately add fresh herbs, and tilt the pan, so that the egg completely covers the potatoes.

*If using bacon, sprinkle bacon pieces over the top.

*Continue cooking until the egg begins to set. You should be able to slide a spatula around the edge of the pan.

*Transfer the pan into the oven, and bake for 10 minutes.

*Remove from oven, and cut into wedges. Serve with a small green salad on the side.

* * * * *

I love brunch. I don't always eat breakfast, but on the weekends, I love to eat brunch, and this is my favorite brunch item. It's very versatile, and it looks so elegant when you serve it.

A few notes:

*Make sure you're using an oven-proof frying pan. Essentially, all of the parts of the pan should be metal (no plastic handles). To be safe, you can wrap the handle in aluminum foil.

*The secret ingredient here is the poultry seasoning. It's a blend of several dried herbs & spices (onion, garlic, basil, rosemary, coriander, sage, thyme, paprika, black pepper, and marjoram are in the brand that I use). Just a tiny bit, crushed in the palm of your hand and added to the potatoes, will give a nice blend of complex flavors to the dish.

*Be willing to experiment with the fresh herbs. I tend to favor rosemary and thyme, but you could easily substitute chives, cilantro, sage, basil, oregano, or parsley.

*When beating the eggs, be sure to aerate them, and make them as fluffy as possible. You could also a drop of milk to the eggs to make them a bit more creamy.

This is really a lovely dish. It's colorful, flavorful, and very easy to make. You can customize it to your own unique tastes. You can also turn it into an appetizer by cutting it into bite-size squares, and serving with toothpicks.

If you try this recipe, or any of the recipes on this site, please let me know how they turn out for you!!

Enjoy!

Two Great Meals

Since I missed a week of blogging somehow, I'll make up for it by sharing two great meals that I made last week.

I bought 2 lbs of lean chopped sirloin at Stew Leonard's in Yonkers. (If you're not familiar, Stew Leonard's is a fresh-food shopping mecca in the Northeast: http://www.stewleonards.com/) I used one pound in my "Homestyle Applesauce Meatloaf", and the other in my "Meat Sauce for Pasta". They're both easy, savory meals that are great on cold winter nights!

* * * * *

"Homestyle Applesauce Meatloaf"

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon cumin

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 large egg, beaten

Salt & pepper

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

*Grease a 2 qt glass baking dish with a small amount of olive oil

*Chop the onion & garlic in a food processor. (Personally, I pulverize it because no one in my house likes big chucks of onion in their meatloaf.)

*In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, onion/garlic, applesauce, cumin, thyme, egg, and breadcrumbs.

*Mix all ingredients thoroughly. (Yes, this is best done with your hands!)

*Shape into a loaf, and place in the baking dish.

*Lightly salt and pepper the top of the loaf.

*Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

I served this meatloaf with mashed red potatoes (with a few chopped chives, for color) and green beans.

And I'll tell you a secret: This meatloaf is NEVER dry. I know that's what most people don't like about meatloaf, which is why they do crazy things like top it with bacon or ketchup or something. The applesauce & the pulverized onion/garlic give this recipe a lot of moisture, and it even stays moist on a reheat.

* * * * *

"Meat Sauce for Pasta"

1 lb lean ground beef

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes or tomato puree

About 2 oz each of beef broth and dry red wine

1 tablespoon of fresh basil leaves, torn

(Note: I used a frozen paste of basil & olive oil, made from the fresh basil my neighbor gave us a few months ago.)

*Chop the onion & garlic in a food processor

*In a 2 qt saucepan, over medium heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

*Brown the beef in the olive oil. Season the beef with fresh ground black pepper. (You may want to do this in 2 batches, 1/2 lb at a time.)

*Add the onion/garlic mixture to the browned beef. Continue heating until the onion becomes translucent.

*Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, wine, and basil.

*Bring sauce to a bubble, then reduce heat to a simmer.

*Continue simmering until ready to serve

I served this sauce with medium shells, and a green salad on the side. A little garlic bread goes nicely on the side, as well.

* * * * *

I hope you enjoy by 2 best meals of the last week!! If you try these recipes yourself, please let me know how they turn out for you, and please pass them along to your friends! :-)

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome to "Best Meal of the Week", my new blog. :-)

I love to cook. I cook a lot, as often as I can. I don't cook every single day, though. But, certainly, a few days a week, I will either try out a new recipe or whip up some quick comfort food.

What's most important to me about cooking? It's got to be easy, and it's got to taste good. Many of the meals I make have similar ingredients because there are certain things I always keep on hand. I also try to use ingredients that are easily accessible. Flavor, of course, is also important. My favorite meals are hearty, savory, and flavorful.

Who/what are my food influences? My mom almost never used recipes to make dinner. She followed her instincts in the kitchen, and I try to do that as well. I write my own recipes now, just so that my cooking is consistent, but I do have some cookbooks that I really like.

The best resource I have is Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything". He makes cooking very approachable and satisfying, and his recipes are extremely flexible. I also rely on Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals" & "30 Minute Meals II" for a lot of my "go-to" meals (chili, rubs for meat, vodka cream sauce, etc.). Mind you, I can rarely accomplish her recipes in the 30 minute time-frame, but that's only because I take my time.

What's the purpose of this blog? Each week, I'll be posting about the best meal I've made in that week. Some things work; some things need more work. I hope you'll try out the recipes that I'll include, and send me feedback about your results. Hopefully, blogging will inspire me to take new risks in my cooking and make me a better cook too!