Saturday Morning Frittatas

On the chilliest fall day yet, I find myself reliving a part of my past life. For many years, as a bakery owner, I offered frittatas for breakfast every Saturday morning. We would usually sell out, especially on the first cold Saturday of fall. We first started with a sausage frittata but soon added a sweet potato bacon version and then a vegetarian version with spinach, roasted red pepper and ricotta. Each new version we came up with would need a name and we prided ourselves in always making sure that the new title would start with an “S”. That’s how we came up with the Southern French (sun-dried tomato, black olives, Feta and artichoke hearts), the Summertime (corn, zucchini, tomato and basil), the Squash, Leek and Goat cheese and the Smoked Salmon (asparagus, cream cheese and smoked salmon). I vaguely recall a Sauerkraut also…

Many of the people who worked for me remember the weekly prep for these breakfast items. There were dozens of eggs to crack and whip, potatoes to boil, cheese to mix, onions to dice and sauté, meats to fry. When it was time to assemble them, tin foil pans would pile up sprinkled with onions and neatly sliced potatoes. Layer by layer, the ingredients would be added and form each colorful  version. The frittatas would then get cheese and eggs. Last but not least, each pan was covered with tin foil and labeled. 

Early on Saturday morning, I would arrive in the dark and wheel all the frittatas out of the large walk-in fridge. As I handled each one, I noticed the words written on the foil. At some point, I mentioned to the bakery workers how I loved the writing and art done with a Sharpie on the foil covers. After that, whoever was covering the frittatas started to be creative. As I lifted the frittata off the cart, this one said “Breathe”. Another one spelled out the name in drawings or said “Rise and shine, sunshine!” Once, I found a labyrinth on the top of one to follow with my finger! As I slowly got into the Saturday morning rhythm, these messages made me laugh and think. I marveled at and loved my creative co-workers.

This week, after many years, I found myself making frittatas again for a wedding. As I boiled and sliced the potatoes, mixed the cheese, cracked and whipped the eggs, I had to go back in my mind to all of those people who made the frittatas over the years at my bakery. There was always something special about the process. Maybe because we could sit as we did it unlike many of the jobs at the bakery. Maybe because frittata making always engendered interesting conversations in the kitchen. Maybe because we all knew how good they were and how they would make our customers happy.

As I finished each pan and covered it with foil, then wrote instructions on each one, I imagined being a part of that weekly ritual, where muscle memory kicked in and thoughts grew rich and the love in the bakery kitchen became part of the frittatas that fed oh so many people back in the day. May that love spread its warmth as the days turn cold.

Here’s the recipe if you want to make it as cool weather moves in.

Sweet Potato Bacon Frittata

One of the most popular Saturday morning breakfasts at Rachel’s Bread!

1/2 small onion, chopped and fried in canola oil

5 slices of bacon, chopped and fried

2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked with skin on until tender

3 green onions, chopped

2 oz. gruyere cheese, grated

1 1/2 c. cheese  (grated mozzarella, parmesan and provolone mix)

8 eggs

1 1/4 c. cream, half and half or milk

1/2 t. oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9” by 11” casserole dish. Sprinkle with fried onions. Layer with thinly sliced sweet potatoes, then bacon, then green onions, then gruyere and finally cheese mix. Whisk 8 eggs and the cream together. Stir in the spices. Pour over the sweet potato bacon mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until set. Serves 8. Can be made the night before and baked in the oven the next morning.

Variations:

—Substitute white potatoes instead of sweet, diced cooked squash, fried sliced leeks, goat cheese instead of Gruyère

—Substitute white potatoes instead of sweet, ½ lb. cooked sausage, no Gruyère, no green onions

—Substitute white potatoes instead of sweet, fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, ricotta instead of Gruyère, no green onions

—Substitute white potatoes instead of sweet, corn, fresh basil, diced zucchini, dice sun-dried tomatoes

—Substitute white potatoes instead of sweet, lightly cooked asparagus, shredded smoked salmon, cream cheese instead of Gruyère

—Substitute white potatoes instead of sweet, diced artichoke hearts, diced sun-dried tomatoes, sliced black olives, Feta instead of Gruyère