A frittata, or egg bake, is a perfect dish for feeding a crowd for breakfast or brunch. Or dinner or a pot luck for that matter! It’s a very flexible dish, so you can use any meats or veggies you have on hand. It’s also just as good at room temperature as it is hot out of the oven, so it travels well. In this recipe the Italian sausage, potatoes and fresh rosemary in the eggs all pair together really well.
Traditionally a frittata is cooked partially on the stove top, then finished in the oven. So technically this dish is an egg bake since it is cooked entirely in the oven, but I call it a frittata because there is no addition of bread, biscuits, etc. that there would be in your usual egg bake recipe. It is still a hardy, filling dish, but without the heavy feeling after eating it. That also makes it gluten free, so if you are feeding a crowd and have any gluten intolerant friends, they can still eat this!
I also don’t use a lot of cheese, just a sprinkling of Parmesan on top. For this particular recipe, since there is sausage in the mix, I think more cheese would make the finished dish too heavy and greasy. If you were omitting the sausage, then adding some shredded cheddar or fontina might be a nice idea.
There are three basic steps in putting the frittata together. First, make the crispy potatoes, next sauté the sausage and veggies, and finally whisk together the egg mixture to pour on top. You also use the same sauté pan for the potatoes and sausage mixture, so you aren’t getting too many pots dirty.
First of all, how pretty is that baking dish? My Mom gave that to me for my birthday one year and I love it! It’s almost too pretty to use. If I don’t have company coming over, I usually use a plain ol’ Pyrex 9 x 13 pan. Layer your cubed, browned potatoes at the bottom of your prepared pan, followed by the sausage mixture, both evenly distributed in the pan.
Next, whisk together the eggs, half and half (or whatever kind of milk you have on hand), fresh rosemary and salt and pepper. I love my Swedish whisk for eggs, there’s something about the flat bottom of the whisk that really makes quick work of the eggs. On a side note, it’s also the best whisk ever for making gravy. Carefully pour the eggs over the sausage and potatoes. Finally, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and bake for about 30 minutes.
I like to serve the frittata with diced tomatoes and avocado on top! Since it is a rich dish, I also think it pairs well with an arugula salad and vinaigrette.
Sausage and Potato Frittata
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9 1x
Description
This dish is great for brunch served with a green salad and vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups of cooked, diced potato, I used yukon golds. You can use a leftover baked potato too.
- 1 lb of Italian or breakfast sausage
- 1 cup of diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup of diced red bell peppers
- 1 clove of garlic
- 10 large eggs
- 1/4 cup half and half or cream
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- If you need to cook the potatoes, wash them and pierce with a fork. Place in the microwave, cook on high for 2 minutes, turn potatoes over and cook on high for another 2 minutes. If you are using a russet potato, you will need another 2 minutes in the microwave. Wrap in tin foil and set aside for 15 minutes. Remove from foil (be careful!), let cool for 5 minutes, then dice.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray oven proof pan with cooking spray. I used a square 10 x 10 inch pan, but a 9 x 13 pan works well too.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add diced potatoes and spread out into single layer, salt and pepper the potatoes. Let them brown for 4-5 minutes before moving. Keep browning the potatoes until all sides are crispy. Place potatoes in the bottom of your baking dish, spreading them out in an even layer.
- In the same pan saute the Italian sausage, browning and cooking thoroughly. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
- Add the onion to the sausage drippings in the saute pan, adding more olive oil if needed. Saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened. Add the red bell pepper and garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the sausage back to the pan, turn off the heat, stir to combine. Add on top of the potatoes in an even layer in your baking pan.
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl, then add the half and half, salt and pepper and fresh rosemary. Whisk very well until the mixture is completely combined and frothy. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the sausage and potatoes in your baking pan, making sure it is evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top, if using, and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the eggs are cooked through and set. The top will be slightly browned. Let cool for 15 minutes, then cut into squares.
