Stove Top Supper.

Hi Han,

You know I told you a while ago that I’d met a lovely lady who is basically  me but in another body? Well I did, and she is superdooper lovely and shares your passion for tea and mine for cake...everyone of our get-togethers involves both, and a lot of chat about how desperate we both are to learn to knit. She lives in a beautiful little flat in a gem of a spot in Edinburgh which you would love. I already consider her a real proper true friend, even though we’ve really only spent a relatively small amount of hours together. This post is for her.

She’s in a spot of culinary bother you see. It all started when the glass of her oven door shattered, through no fault of her own, leaving a messy hole and no oven. This was a good few weeks ago now and the long and short of it is that it still isn’t fixed (or it wasn’t when I last saw her). She is bOREd of soup and stir frys and desperate for a good old baked potato. I am veryvery sympathetic, mainly because I think if I was left without the use of an oven for any length of time you’d have to cart me off an asylum. Also...I thought this maybe possibly might be the sort of dilemma you face when you move across the pond? So I put my chef’s hat on and did lots of thinking about yummy things that can be had hot off the hob. This is my first offering. It is inspired by my lunch at Easter-time Betty’s and is yummy and healthy and sunshiney and not a jot of sacrifice is felt by the end...promise. With Love and Cake.

Courgette and Spring Herb Frittata with Stove Top Roasties.  

A few notes:

·         It is best to use a non-stick pan for the frittata. If you don’t have one  it might make things easier to line the pan you use with baking paper.

·         If you’re buying herbs especially for this, and therefore don’t want to buy lots of different packets, may I suggest you go for mint. I didn’t use it here because something had cheekily munched my small supply of leaves  but I think it would bring even more fun to the party.

·         I served my Frittata with goat’s cheese and chutney but you could eat it plain or with a whole number of other toppings. How about caramelised onions, feta, mozzarella and tomatoes or even have it in a sandwich with salad and mayonnaise.

·         You need to use waxy potatoes for this recipe, which are small and often labelled ‘salad potatoes’. Floury ones that are used for ‘baking’ will break up to a mush. 

Makes enough for 2

You will need

For the Potatoes

1 glug of olive oil

1 knob of butter

½ onion, sliced

500gish waxy potatoes

Salt and Pepper

For the frittata

1 glug of olive oil

1 medium sized courgette, coarsely grated

A couple of generous handful of springtime herbs, I used parsley, coriander, chives, young rosemany and dill, finely chopper

4 eggs

Salt and Pepper

·         First get the potatoes going; heat the oil and butter over a medium heat and throw in the onion, leaving until softened and golden.

·         Then add the potatoes and lots of salt and pepper and give everything a stir around.

·         Now turn the heat down to as low as possible, pop the lid on the pan and leave for a good 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every so often.

·         When the potatoes have about 15 minutes cooking left it’s time to start on the frittata, first by heating the oil in the frying pan and gently frying the grated courgette for a few minutes until slightly softened.

·         Tip the courgettes from the pan into a bowl, with the herbs and plenty of seasoning.

·         Next whisk the eggs into the herby mixture and pour everything back into the still warm pan.

·         Leave on a low heat until it looks mostly set, with just a bit of wibblywobbly left in the middle; about 10 minutes.

·         To cook the top, either stick under a hot grill if you have the facility, or flip the frittata over by sliding it out onto a plate, hovering the upside down pan over it, and turning everything over so the wobbly side of the frittata is at the bottom of the pan.

·         Leave to cook for a final 5 minutes turn the heat up under the potatoes for the last few moments so they really crisp up (and go some way to satisfy the baked potato craving, Beth).

·         Serve a wedge of frittata with the potatoes and a crispy dressed salad and any other adornment you fancy. Yum.