My best bud Jordan suggested that I make a frittata, among other cool things. And I was half-listening to her and was like, “Oh, I have a great idea! I’ll make a frittata!” and pretended that I came up with it all by myself.
Leeks are new to my world! Can you believe this was the first time I’ve cooked with them? I think it’s a Vietnamese bias. We tend to over-rely on scallions.
Some say that the green tops of leeks can be a bit fibrous, but that didn’t really bother me. It helps to cut them crosswise, into small pieces. The whiter parts of the leek are admittedly more tender, but the greens are a super pretty color. I will totally use both from here on out, forever and ever.
- 10-12 eggs
- 3-5 tablespoons whole milk (aka “a glug”)
- 2 ounces of Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 2 leeks, washed, trimmed of roots, halved lengthwise, and cut into 3/4-inch half-moons
- heavy pinch of salt (yes, more salt!)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- sour cream
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 C). Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat on the stove.
- In medium-large bowl, whisk together the 10-12 eggs for a few seconds to break up the yolks. Add in milk and the 1/4 tsp of salt. Whisk to incorporate well. It’s okay to beat some air into your mixture. Set aside.
- Add butter to your preheated skillet and watch it sizzle for a few seconds. Twirl it around with a silicon spatula or other stirring apparatus. Dump in your leeks. Sprinkle with the pinch of salt. Let it saute and wilt and smell awesome. About four minutes.
- (OPTIONAL) I like for there to be a layer of congealed egg at the bottom of the pan, so I pull out my leeks so I can cook the eggs a little before transferring the leeks back. But you definitely do not have to do this step. You can leave your leeks in the pan, but be sure to evenly distribute them around so that there isn’t a wad of leek in one hemisphere of the frittata.
- Pour egg mixture into pan (which still has butter remnants from the leeks, so you don’t have to re-butter). Cook for 30 seconds. If you pulled out the leeks, put them back in, evenly distributing them. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Turn the heat down to medium-low an continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the edges of the frittata have started to set.
- Put your skillet into oven and let it hang out there for 15-20 minutes, until the center is opaque and cooked through. Remove from pan and cut into 8 pieces. Serve while it’s still very warm, with a spoonful of sour cream, and maybe a side salad.
Yeah, that was some gratuitous leek porn. (How many pics of leeks does a recipe NEED, right?) But I was just so enamored.
Leeks are milder than onions — they won’t make you cry — but are far more substantial than green onion/scallions. Because of their heft, they can stand more center stage in recipes/dishes, whereas scallions tend to naturally be more garnish-like, I think.
This frittata (and probably frittatas in general) heats up really well the day after (and the next day, and the next day, and the next day).
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