Omelet Impaired

I came late to the party about eating eggs for breakfast. Growing up, we ate leftovers rather than breakfast food in the morning. Even at Ihop I was known to order the half roasted chicken for breakfast instead of actual breakfast foods that Ihop is better known for.

So, in my older years, I've begun to appreciate the skill that goes into the preparation of eggs. "Top Chef" celebrated that with a short order eggs challenge. Chefs had to prepare a specific style of egg and were judged on how close they came to perfection.

Since I don't often cook breakfast, omelets are just something that I don't try to make. Instead, I've discovered a great alternative that's both easier and infinitely more versatile - the fritatta!

Fritattas are simply omelets without the flipping. You prepare ingredients, put eggs prepped for scrambling into the skillet with the ingredients, cook it on the bottom, and then finish by baking in the oven. For breakfast, serve it with a glass of OJ and you are set. For lunch or dinner, pair it with a simply dressed salad.

For brunch this morning, I made a spicy sausage, new potato, mushroom, and onion fritatta. The recipe was adapted from one I found in a book for "Savory Sausage Casserole" found in "Dark Tort" by Diane Mott Davidson. It's a mystery novel that chronicles the tales of a Colorado caterer and mysery solver.

My recipe used the principles from the original recipe of beating the eggs with half and half for some extra creaminess and fluffy texture, but the ingredients were based on what I had available - farm fresh eggs, homemade spicy pork sausage (made by local farmers), green onions, new potatoes, and mushrooms. Many of the items (except mushrooms and green onions) came from the farmers market. It's a great lesson in using the same ingredients in different ways.

Ingredients ready to bake

Spicy Sausage Fritatta
2 links spicy pork sausage (about 1/2 lb) (Can use 1/2 lb bulk sausage)
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 lb new potatoes
2 green onions
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 large eggs
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the sausages and potatoes and cook both until just done, about 10 - 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Slice the potatoes and sausages and set aside. If using bulk sausage, brown in skillet and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an oven-safe skillet, add the butter and melt over medium-low heat. Slice the green onions thinly and add to skillet. Saute over medium-low until translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until cooked through. Remove mixture from skillet and place in heat-proof bowl. Spray skillet with cooking spray and laer potatoes in bottom of pan. Distribute mushroom mix over potatoes and sausage over that.
In large bowl, beat eggs with half-and-half over low spped until smooth, about 2 - 3 minutes. Pour over rest of ingredients and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 35 minutes until top is golden and eggs are set. Serve immediately. (Serves 6).

The masterpiece!