French Fridays with Dorie: Potato Chip Tortilla

I can still remember the first frittata I ever saw and ate: My friend/former co-worker Fulvio pulled a giant cast iron pan the size of a garbage can lid out of the oven which looked to be filled with a casserole. Later, he loosened the sides and flipped out the entire dish onto a platter and cut a wedge. What was found inside was more of a giant baked omelet  filled with eggs, potatoes and seasonings. I’ve since had many a version of this (my favorite filled with with artichokes) and have tasted the Spanish tortilla version as well. My baked egg dishes found on this blog are all versions of the original dish – using leftover bits of vegetables and meats bound together simple with eggs and seasonings.

Dorie’s version of a tortilla originated with Jean-Francois Piege and uses crushed potato chips in place of the traditional cubes of potato. Now, I know what you are thinking, I just got back to mostly health eating (well, ok, except for that giant basket of Godivia chocolates the neighbor sent us, oh, and the box of chocolates at work, but other than that…) and potatoes are not on the menu, let alone chips! Well, a few months back I did buy a bag of sweet potato chips (a little lower in carbs and less oily, yeah, ok, I’m totally justifying it here) and there was still about 3 oz of slightly stale chips left in the bag – perfect for this recipe.

The verdict? I liked the simplicity of eggs, sweet potatoes, and herbs. Sweet potato chips are lower in salt than regular chips, so I could have been more generous with the salt seasoning. Overall I thought the dish was good. As an hors d’oeuvre, I would likely top the small squares with something zesty like a bit of cheese, sausage or a cured ham. And I may have left the tortilla under the broiler for a minute too long, but I like toasty brown egg dishes so it worked well for me. The chips brought the half tortilla I ate for dinner to around 20 carbs for a serving – not great but quite acceptable. The orange flecks of sweet potato brightened up the cut wedge – you would never have known they started as leftover chips.

Notes:

• The tortilla was cooked in a 8 inch cast iron pan.
• Given my thoughts about onions the past few weeks, I used green onions and lightly cooked them and the garlic in the olive oil before adding the egg/chip/herb mixture.
• The herbs were a mixture of flat leaf parsley and cilantro that I had on hand, thanks to Sarah who handed over her fridge leftovers before leaving town. Gracias!

Somewhat unrelated, but I am very excited to be getting new floors next week in the living area of our house (which includes the kitchen). After looking at many options, we are going with a product that lays out strips of dark stained textured cork that look very much like “distressed” wood planks. It looks beautiful and is also softer on the feet and back – great  for standing and cooking. The blog may be quiet the next week and weekend while we pack and move things out of our living/eating rooms, move it all back, finish up a few renovation projects (um, yes, the bathroom still does not have a workign light fixture, but the giant hole is patched and painted) and decorate before the holidays. Let’s hope there are a few nice trees left Christmas Eve, or we are going to be Charlie Brown-ing it. Creme brulee is next up on the FFwD list and eagerly anticipated since I heard my neighbor got a butane torch – if you don’t see it next week, look for the results the following week.

Merry Christmas to those celebrating it!