Potato and Boursin Frittata

Christmas morning is magical, and breakfast on Christmas should be equally as special.  I usually try to do something a little out of the norm for Christmas morning, but I’ve had years when it seems that I’ve spent most of the early hours of the day in the kitchen cooking, instead of enjoying the morning with my family.  It’s always nice when breakfast can be made up the night before, and just popped in the oven, like with the Overnight Blueberry Stuffed French Toast that I posted last year.

This year’s recipe offering is a little different.  It’s not an overnight-pop-in-the-oven-come-morning recipe, but just as simple.  It really took no time at all to put together.  We actually had it for dinner the other night, but it would make for a wonderful breakfast as well.

This year, I have a frittata recipe to share.  A frittata is an egg based “pie” of sorts, kind of like a crustless Quiche, that is usually started on the stove and finished off in the oven, and then sliced into wedges.  Like a Quiche, the accent ingredient possibilities are endless.  I’ve made a few frittatas in my day and all of them have been tasty, but every one has left my husband saying “Eh, it was ok.  Just fine.”  “Fine” is not a glowing review, in my book, so I’ve never repeated a frittata recipe that I’ve made a second time.  This recipe, however, will be repeated! This was the first one that he admittedly loved…and he went back for seconds (and maybe even thirds!).

I started by chopping up a bunch of green onions, and whisking together eight eggs with a little salt and pepper.

Once they were ready, I got out my frying pan and heated up some oil over high heat. Then, I added in my green onions and two cups of frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes. Yep, the ones you find in the freezer aisle.  As un-fancy as they come…and they work beautifully.

I stirred them around for a bit, and then covered them and let them cook for about three minutes.  I stirred them again, noticing that they’d started to crisp up nicely on the bottom, and let them sit for another three minutes.

As the potatoes were cooking, I got my Boursin cheese out from the fridge.

Boursin is a soft, white, mild cheese from France and it is readily available at your grocery store.  It’s often seasoned with herbs and garlic, as mine is here, or other spices.  It’s perfect for spreading on crackers or toasted french bread.  Consistency-wise, I guess you could compare it to a fancy herbed cream cheese.

I crumbled up my Boursin, and then poured my beaten eggs over the top of the potatoes and onions in my pan.  Then, I sprinkled the crumbled cheese over the top of the frittata.  At this point, I was done with the stove, and the pan went into the oven to bake.

After fifteen minutes, I checked on my frittata.  The egg mixture was set in the middle and just starting to brown up on top.  Perfect.  I took it out of the oven.

I placed a plate on top of my pan, and carefully flipped it onto the plate. (Don’t forget to use pot holders!  That pan is HOT!) When I took the pan from the top, I was pleased to see a perfectly toasty, crunchy potato top that we couldn’t wait to dive into!

I sliced the frittata up into wedges, and served it alongside a salad and some smoked salmon.  The smoked salmon paired with it perfectly, but if you’re not into salmon, maybe try some prosciutto or thinly sliced ham.

It was delicious!  And, as I mentioned before, the first frittata to get rave reviews once I served it.  The creamy, herbed Boursin and those crispy, crunchy potatoes were a match made in Christmas breakfast heaven.  Plus, it was so quick and easy to put together, it won’t turn you into a Christmas morning Grinch.

POTATO AND BOURSIN FRITTATA

Adapted from Epicurious