Asparagus, Leek, and Potato Frittata
Well, I had a little mishap in making this recipe. You see, in slicing the veggies on my mandolin, my potato skipped over the blade, and I ended up slicing my little pinkie. Blood spurted everywhere, and my father drove me down to Urgent Care. Six stitches later, I bought a food processor with a slicer attachment. So, having learned my lesson, I now use my Cuisinart religiously. But back to the recipe at hand, with spring in full force, I was thinking of recipes to make use of the seasonal bounty of asparagus. I thought, what better pairing of asparagus than with an egg frittata? This recipe was inspired from the tortilla española, a Spanish omelet made of egg, potato, and onions. But here I swapped out leeks for onions and added asparagus and goat, Parmesan, and cottage cheese. Try it once and you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients
- 3 cups sliced Russet potatoes
- 3 cups sliced leeks
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup cottage cheese, 4% milkfat
- 1 ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- 1 T. + 1 t. minced garlic
- 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 T. unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼- ½ t. kosher salt
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Step 2 Wash and scrub the potatoes, peeling off their skins. Then, slice the potatoes in ¼” half rounds with a food processor or by hand and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Next, wash and chop the white and green parts of the leeks. Reserve in a separate mixing bowl. Third, take each hand and hold your stalks of asparagus near each end. Now, gently bend the non-tip end until you hear it snap. Repeat this process for all stalks and place in their own mixing bowl. You’ll only be using the tips and centers in this recipe, so reserve the ends for later use with a broth. Finally, mince the garlic and add to a small bowl.
- Step 3 Next, heat the butter and oil in a 12” nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, and adding ¼ cup of broth at a time if the potatoes begin to stick. Then, add the asparagus and sauté for 5 minutes, adding more broth as needed. Lastly, add the leeks and garlic and sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently and pouring in more broth if dry. Remove from heat and transfer to an extra-large mixing bowl.
- Step 4 Shred the Parmesan cheese on a small-holed grater. Then, crack the eggs into a small mixing bowl, beating them with the cream. Combine the eggs and cheese with the sautéed leeks, asparagus, and potatoes from step 3. Last, add the salt, goat, and cottage cheese to the extra-large mixing bowl with the Parmesan, eggs, and veggies (leeks, potatoes, asparagus). Mix well.
- Step 5 Take a large 9 x 13” oven-safe, casserole dish and grease the bottom of the pan with a generous slab of butter. Pour in the egg and veggie mixture and spread out evenly over the surface of the pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your oven temperature. Mine was ready at 57 minutes. The edges should be golden, the center should be yellow and firm, and if you make an incision in the center, the eggs shouldn’t run to the middle. Let rest for 5 minutes, then serve, and enjoy!
My asparagus, leek, and potato frittata was inspired from the tortilla española, a Spanish omelet made of egg, potato, and onions. The changes I made were to swap out leeks for onions and add asparagus, goat, Parmesan, and cottage cheese. Try it for yourself and you’ll be hooked!