Frittata: Italian Egg, Sausage and Potato Pie
Frittata is a versatile dish and you can make it in less than 20 minutes start to finish. Use whatever ingredients you want to make it your own. Here I use some of my favorites. Browned potatoes and onions are the base. Fresh mozzarella, roasted sausage, grated pecorino, and chopped parsley enhance the egg mixture.
Make yours vegetarian. Saute a couple of your favorite veggies to bring out their flavor. Roasted asparagus or sauteed zucchini work well too. Let the sauteed vegetables cool before adding them to egg mixture. Prosciutto or ham are good substitutes for the roasted sausage. Fontina or another soft cheese can replace the mozzarella. Or just use grated pecorino, parmigiano or grana padano.
Serve frittata for brunch or dinner. A side fruit or green salad completes the plate. Frittata is a nice addition to an antipasti platter too. However you serve your frittata make sure you have enough left over so you can enjoy frittata panini (sandwiches) later on.
I use a well-seasoned 11-inch cast iron pan for my 10 egg frittata. Non-stick saute pans work well too. For my smaller 9-inch cast iron pan I use 6 or 8 eggs. If you are anxious about flipping the frittata to cook the second side use an oven-proof pan and put it in the oven to finish cooking.
The golden crust is nutty and the frittata is cooked through but still a moist on the inside. Enjoy a mouthful of flavor in every bite.
Buon appetito.
Frittata - Italian Egg, Potato and Sausage Pie
Ingredients
- 10 extra large eggs
- 3 small Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1/2 onion
- 2 thick slices fresh mozzarella
- 1 roasted Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons EVOO
Cooking Directions
- Par boil or microwave the potatoes until just knife tender.
- Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat well.
- Add the parsley, pecorino and salt and pepper to taste to the eggs. Mix well.
- Cut the mozzarella and the roasted sausage into half-inch cubes. Add to the egg mixture. (Roast the sausage in a 425 degree oven until fully cooked, about 30 minutes. Cool before adding to the egg mixture.)
- Place a cast-iron or other saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the EVOO.
- When the oil begins to ripple add the potatoes and onions.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Mix well.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Saute until the potatoes begin to brown.
- Make sure that the oil coats the bottom and the sides of the pan well. Add more oil if needed and bring it to temperature so that the egg mixture does not stick to the pan.
- Add the egg mixture to the pan.
- Use a fork to make sure that the ingredients are equally distributed.
- As the egg mixture starts to set up use a fork to loosen the bottom so that some of the egg mixture seeps through.
- Move the pan around to ensure that the fritatta cooks evenly all over.
- As a crust begins to form on the edge of the fritatta use a spatula or flat wooden spoon to move the egg mixture away from the side of the pan so that some of the liquid egg mixture fills in behind to cook.
- When the frittata forms a solid edge all around and begins to move away from the side of the pan run the spatula gently under the fritatta to loosen it completely from the bottom of the pan.
- The frittata should move freely when you shake the pan.
- When the frittata is fully formed and set in the middle place a plate over the pan and holding the plate firmly against the rim of the pan carefully flip the pan over.
- Slip the frittata from the plate back into the pan to finish cooking the second side, about 3 minutes.
- Press down on the fritatta with you fingers to make sure that it is fully cooked. It should be springy to the touch.
- Place a large serving dish over the pan and flip the pan to remove the fritatta. You can also carefully slide the frittata onto the serving dish.
- (If you do not want to flip the frittata you can finish cooking the second side in the oven instead. Place the oven-proof pan in a pre-heated 425-degree oven or under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is fully set and begins to brown.)
- Serve the frittata hot out of the pan or at room temperature.
- Buon appetito.
I made this as a dinner the other day for my bunco group of 12 women – one with sausage and one without (for my vegetarian friends). Oh my god, is it amazing!!!! The only part of the process I did differently was, rather than flip the frittata, I put it under the broiler to brown (I was afraid I’d make a mess if I flipped it and didn’t want to ruin the visual for my guests). You’re absolutely right about the seasoning – it’s plenty flavorful as written. Everyone asked for the recipe – it was that good.
I’m particularly grateful for the video. I had never made a frittata before, so having the benefit of watching you cook it made a world of difference!
Thank you!!!!!!
I use my freeze a meal machine a lot. Can this be frozen in shrink wrap? I never freeze anything with poatoes, I make stews and soups without potatoes and and them later. Can I freeze the fritata with potatoes without compromising this wonde r full recipe. Everyone loves it. I do and some freshly sliced sautéed mushrooms…just cause I l of very mushrooms. Thanks for your help.
I’ve never frozen frittata. There is usually none left over and if there is I just refrigerate it to heat up as a snack the next day. Let me know if freezing works for you.
Buon appetito!
–Gianni
Gonna try to make his tonight. ,say a Pryor fo me. 🙂
Ciao Jane.
Did my prayer help you with the frittata?
My wifes Gradmother used to make a pie (ina a crust) with potato,swiss chard, and sausage and maybe some egg. It sounded like she called it Pizza gagett. Would love to be able to recreate this for my family. Does it sound familiar?
I’ve eaten a thin pie in Italy like the one you describe. If your pie had ricotta in it check out my pizza rustica video. You can use that crust recipe for your pie too. Here’s my stab at the recipe for the pie filling.
Boil the potatoes in their jackets until they are knife tender. When cool peel the potatoes and cut them in one-inch cubes. Put them in a big bowl.
Boil the chard in the same pot until tender. Roughly chop the chard. Put the chard in the bowl.
Cook the Italian sausage in a pan (or roast them in the oven) until cooked through. Cut the links into 1-inch cubes. Put the sausage in the bowl.
Beat an egg and add it to the bowl.
Add some grated parmigiano or pecorino and salt and pepper to taste to the bowl and mix everything together well.
Pour the mixture into your crust and bake until the crust lightly golden.
Thanks! Sounds very Close. How many potatoes, swiss chard? Any Spices?
Going to try this today.
Jim
You don’t need any other herbs or seasonings beyond what’s in the recipe. The sausage and pecorino will add plenty of flavor.
For a 9-inch baking pan use:
2 large russet potatoes or 5 Yukon Golds
4 cups chard
1 sausage link
1/4 cup grated pecorino
Actually, Marie and I each made one at the same time, sort of a “dueling frittatas” moment with both of us at the stove side-by-side. We made one big bowl of ingredients until we got to the cheese. Then we split the egg mixture and I made mine without cheese, of course, and it was delicious! Marie loved hers with cheese, so it was a win-win situation, the best kind! Thanks for the great recipe, Gianni!
My cousin in Boston made this and added a little vinegar peppers. It was delicious.
I made this for breakfast the last few weekends, it’s always very good, haven’t tried it with sausage & potatoes though that should be yummy.
Made this the other day and it was delicious.