Frittater-tata
Jan. 14th, 2018 01:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragonlady7via http://ift.tt/2mtxZCg:
So, yesterday morning, while Dude went out with the snowblower to clear the storm-wrack, I tried my hand at a dish he invented, called the Frittater-tata.
It’s not a recipe so much as a method, which I will detail below. I didn’t take photos because I tried a bunch of things that were variants on his tried-and-tested method, and wasn’t sure what would work. I’m writing this up partly to record the decisions we made about what I changed and whether that worked.
But, it’s approximately a frittata, and it’s a great breakfast casserole, and it’s awesome on cold mornings to get you going, and it’s very indulgent for a lazy weekend.
Ingredients: 19 Tater Tots (two recommended servings), ¼ lb bacon chopped coarsely, 4 eggs. Optional: half an onion, strips of cheese: I used American cheese but I think grated cheddar or Gouda or monterey jack would be superior.
The way Dude does it, he uses a large cast iron skillet we have. And his method works great, but. I find that it’s too shallow. If we were making a frittata for four or six people, it’d be perfect, but just four eggs doesn’t fill it enough.
So. I also decided that I’d cook the bacon separately. It’s great to have this be a one-pot meal, but it’s also real greasy. I’d rather be able to pour off some of the bacon grease than have it all absorbed into the Tots.
So, his traditional method is to start with a hot oven (400? whatever the Tater Tots package says), layer the Tots in a single layer in the frying pan, and bake 12 minutes. Then add the bacon bits, and let the two cook together for another 6 minutes, then beat the eggs with a little milk, pour that mixture over the whole thing and bake 3 minutes, then add the cheese and bake another minute or two. The bacon is not as done as I’d like with this method, and the whole thing is just sort of… too thin. So.
My variant, I cut up half an onion and put it in with the tots on a baking sheet (dude never cooks with onions unless the recipe says to; I think he’s crazy, you can put an onion in just about anything), and then threw the bacon in and let that cook too, and I would change that process. I also beat the eggs in a casserole, put them in for a couple of minutes to bake, and then poured the bacon/tots/onion mixture over the top. I wouldn’t do that again either; I had too much trouble getting the excess bacon grease out, the whole thing stuck to the casserole, and the egg took forever to get done in the middle.
So, here’s the Approved But Yet To Be Finally Experimented-With Method:
Put the Tater Tots on a baking sheet. AT THE SAME TIME, put the diced onion and bacon into a Pyrex casserole (like, a 1.5-qt round one, not a big flat one). Bake both together for 15-20 minutes, or maybe even longer– they should be basically DONE at the end. The Tots should be nearly done; you’re gonna take the bacon out earlier.
Beat your egg in a separate bowl, with milk. Take the bacon-onion casserole out of the oven, and pour the excess grease out into a heatproof container. (I save mine, but I’m also the kind of person who renders lard herself, so.) (Obligatory small plug for pasture-raised pigs containing more vitamin D in their fat. Healthy fats! Maybe. I have low cholesterol, so. Make your choices as you see fit.)
Swish the bacon around in the casserole so the edges are all greased. Dump the egg mixture into the casserole. Return it to the oven for a few minutes to let it firm up a little bit, like 3-5 minutes.
Dump the Tater Tots over the top of the whole thing, and add grated cheese as you prefer, over the top. You could mix the Tots in, or not, as you like; I’d experiment with this.
Bake the whole thing until it doesn’t jiggle anymore, which could be another 3-5 minutes or maybe longer, I screwed it up last time so I’m not sure.
Cut into quarters and serve. Feeds 2 hungry people, or 4 polite people, but let’s be real here, 2.
So, that’s what I’m going to try the next time I make it. It’s not quite a one-pot meal– you’ll have a baking sheet and a mixing bowl to clean– but it’s not the usual Man Gets Every Dish In Kitchen Filthy While Making Breakfast Somehow situation we’re all possibly too familiar with.
(Your picture was not posted)
So, yesterday morning, while Dude went out with the snowblower to clear the storm-wrack, I tried my hand at a dish he invented, called the Frittater-tata.
It’s not a recipe so much as a method, which I will detail below. I didn’t take photos because I tried a bunch of things that were variants on his tried-and-tested method, and wasn’t sure what would work. I’m writing this up partly to record the decisions we made about what I changed and whether that worked.
But, it’s approximately a frittata, and it’s a great breakfast casserole, and it’s awesome on cold mornings to get you going, and it’s very indulgent for a lazy weekend.
Ingredients: 19 Tater Tots (two recommended servings), ¼ lb bacon chopped coarsely, 4 eggs. Optional: half an onion, strips of cheese: I used American cheese but I think grated cheddar or Gouda or monterey jack would be superior.
The way Dude does it, he uses a large cast iron skillet we have. And his method works great, but. I find that it’s too shallow. If we were making a frittata for four or six people, it’d be perfect, but just four eggs doesn’t fill it enough.
So. I also decided that I’d cook the bacon separately. It’s great to have this be a one-pot meal, but it’s also real greasy. I’d rather be able to pour off some of the bacon grease than have it all absorbed into the Tots.
So, his traditional method is to start with a hot oven (400? whatever the Tater Tots package says), layer the Tots in a single layer in the frying pan, and bake 12 minutes. Then add the bacon bits, and let the two cook together for another 6 minutes, then beat the eggs with a little milk, pour that mixture over the whole thing and bake 3 minutes, then add the cheese and bake another minute or two. The bacon is not as done as I’d like with this method, and the whole thing is just sort of… too thin. So.
My variant, I cut up half an onion and put it in with the tots on a baking sheet (dude never cooks with onions unless the recipe says to; I think he’s crazy, you can put an onion in just about anything), and then threw the bacon in and let that cook too, and I would change that process. I also beat the eggs in a casserole, put them in for a couple of minutes to bake, and then poured the bacon/tots/onion mixture over the top. I wouldn’t do that again either; I had too much trouble getting the excess bacon grease out, the whole thing stuck to the casserole, and the egg took forever to get done in the middle.
So, here’s the Approved But Yet To Be Finally Experimented-With Method:
Put the Tater Tots on a baking sheet. AT THE SAME TIME, put the diced onion and bacon into a Pyrex casserole (like, a 1.5-qt round one, not a big flat one). Bake both together for 15-20 minutes, or maybe even longer– they should be basically DONE at the end. The Tots should be nearly done; you’re gonna take the bacon out earlier.
Beat your egg in a separate bowl, with milk. Take the bacon-onion casserole out of the oven, and pour the excess grease out into a heatproof container. (I save mine, but I’m also the kind of person who renders lard herself, so.) (Obligatory small plug for pasture-raised pigs containing more vitamin D in their fat. Healthy fats! Maybe. I have low cholesterol, so. Make your choices as you see fit.)
Swish the bacon around in the casserole so the edges are all greased. Dump the egg mixture into the casserole. Return it to the oven for a few minutes to let it firm up a little bit, like 3-5 minutes.
Dump the Tater Tots over the top of the whole thing, and add grated cheese as you prefer, over the top. You could mix the Tots in, or not, as you like; I’d experiment with this.
Bake the whole thing until it doesn’t jiggle anymore, which could be another 3-5 minutes or maybe longer, I screwed it up last time so I’m not sure.
Cut into quarters and serve. Feeds 2 hungry people, or 4 polite people, but let’s be real here, 2.
So, that’s what I’m going to try the next time I make it. It’s not quite a one-pot meal– you’ll have a baking sheet and a mixing bowl to clean– but it’s not the usual Man Gets Every Dish In Kitchen Filthy While Making Breakfast Somehow situation we’re all possibly too familiar with.
(Your picture was not posted)
