2011, Recipe 9: Potato & Pancetta Frittata

I had pancetta and frozen hash browns that I wanted to put to use so I combined two different recipes.  This pancetta frittatta and this hash brown casserole.

•  pancetta, cut into small lardons
• 1 tsp leaves thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed 
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 Spanish onions, thinly sliced
• 8 large eggs, beaten 
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• salt
• pepper
• crushed red pepper flake 
• parmesan, grated
• 1 tsp chopped sage
• 1 cup mozzarella 

1. Fry the pancetta with garlic & thyme. When crispy, remove it from pan.  Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently so the onions do not stick or brown. They will need about 30 minutes in total to caramelize. Add the hash browns and break apart. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. *Note: You can really shorten this step by doing onion for 10 minutes or so before adding the hash browns.  I promise you're not compromising that much flavor.

2. Stir in the pancetta, thyme and garlic. Tip into a large bowl and leave to cool for at least 5 minutes. Season generously.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, eggs, sage, salt, black & red pepper and mustard, briskly to blend.

4. Preheat the broiler. Add the eggs, Parmesan and sage to the onion & potato mixture mixture and stir well to combine. Heat the remaining oil in an ovenproof heavy-based pan. Swirl to coat the sides of the pan evenly, then pour in the egg mixture and cook for 6-8 minutes over a low heat to set the bottom and sides.
 
5. Top with mozzarella.  Transfer the pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, for about 2 minutes until the frittata is just set, puffed up and lightly golden.  

6. Loosen the sides with a palette knife and cut the frittata into wedges. Serve warm or cold, straight from the pan.

Results: I cooked it a few seconds longer than I wanted to on accident but it still wasn't too dark to enjoy!  Make sure you season every layer well so there's plenty of flavor.  This was missing a bit of salt but it was still delicious.  Also, combining these recipes for this site?  Unnecessarily tedious.  You're welcome.