Offbeat Bites: Vegetarian Breakfast Frittata

Chef’s Note: With its quiche-like taste and texture versatile vegetarian dish is perfect for a weekend brunch. Try adding peppers, paprika, or cayenne for a bit of a kick, or add bacon or ham to give it a non-vegetarian twist. Using different cheeses, such as mild Swiss or cheddar, can give the dish a whole new flavor profile. Don’t be afraid to mix it up!

Though there is a lot of prep work involved in the dish, if you do it all the night before you can save yourself a lot of time. Be warned though, the potatoes will turn brown if you don’t store them in water.

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds of potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and diced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 zucchini, scrubbed and grated

8 ounces of canned corn, drained

6 eggs

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon of salt, more or less to taste

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded or cubed

Preheat oven to 550F.

No one likes biting into hard potatoes, which the boiling prevents.

Boil potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes and drain when finished.

Be sure to account for the salt content of whatever cheese you’re using, if not using mozzarella. The same goes for pepper, if you’re adding peppers or other spices.

Beat eggs lightly, with salt and pepper.

With both cheese and eggs, this dish would prove difficult to serve without nonstick.

Heat olive oil on medium in a large ovenproof skillet. I’d recommend nonstick, to more easily slice and serve the frittata.

Though it seems like a lot of onion at first, it’s just the right amount.

Add onion to the skillet, and saute for about 5 minutes, or until softened.

The zucchini and potatoes only need to cook briefly, to take on the flavor of the onions.

Add zucchini and potatoes, stirring in thoroughly. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add corn, stirring in thoroughly.

You’ll really want to stir the eggs in well, so that the frittata achieves a uniform, spongy texture.

Stir eggs into the skillet. Scatter the cheese over top evenly and cook until almost set; about 4 to 6 minutes.

The cheese should be bubbling from the sides and be brown on top.

Put the frittata into the preheated oven, baking until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let the skillet cool for a few minutes before slicing, then dig in!

All photos by Lauren Quinn