Potato and Zucchini Open Faced Omelet July 20, 2010

Ryan and I love going out to breakfast on the weekends.  We alternate between a few favorite spots around town, but more often than not, we end up at Club Bart, eating plates of veggie sausage omelets, eggs benedicts, and hash browns.  Waking up this Sunday morning, my first thought was to round up the troops & head over there for breakfast, but then I stopped and thought about our fridge, bursting at the seams with food & fresh veggies from a trip to Eastern Market on Saturday, and I decided to spend a little time in the kitchen instead.  By the time Ryan woke up and our friends came over, I made an open faced “omelet” out of potato, zucchini, and a few other veggies in a saute pan, finishing it off in the oven for a little extra melty-ness for the cheese. The majority of the vegetables in this are grated on a box grater.  When  you grate vegetables like that, they end up releasing a lot of water.  Next time I’d be more diligent about pressing the water out.  I did a quick press of the veggies with some paper towel this time, but it’s an important step to make sure there isn’t too much moisture in the pan when the omelet is cooking.

I think picking the right pan to make this in is crucial.  You want a saute pan or skillet that is a few inches deep, has a cover, and is oven-safe.  If you skip the broiling part, you don’t NEED it to be oven-safe, but it’s a nice finishing touch.  Something like this is perfect:

Potato and Zucchini Open Faced Omelet

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes, grated (I used Yukon gold…I think any waxy potato would work)
2 medium carrots, grated
1 small onion, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
cooking spray
1 medium zucchini, grated
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved (about 1/3 of a plastic container)
2 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup of italian blend or mozzarella cheese
6 eggs
Fresh herbs (I used basil and oregano)
Salt & pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 400.

Start by grating the potatoes.  I leave the skins on for extra nutrients, but you can peel first if you like!  Place the grated potatoes in a bowl, cover with cold water, and let them sit for 10-15 minutes while you prep the rest of the veggies.

Grate the carrots and onion and add the garlic to another bowl.  Once the potatoes are done soaking, drain & rinse them, then press out as much water as you can.  Add the potatoes to the carrot/onion bowl.

Spray your saute pan with some cooking spray, and add the potatoes/onion/carrots/garlic to the pan.  Cook over medium heat, pressing the veggies down into the pan to form a nice browned bottom.  Stir occasionally, cooking for 5-7 minutes or until tender.  Add the grated zucchini to the pan, stirring gently.  Cover the pan, and cook another 3-4 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and green onions, stirring again.  Cook another 2-3 minutes. Salt and pepper throughout all of this as you like.

Beat the eggs in a bowl, and add the chopped herbs and 1/2 cup of cheese to the beaten eggs.  Pour the egg mixture on top of the veggies, top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and more S&P, and put the pan in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until a fork in the middle comes out clean. Once the egg is cooked throughout, turn the broiler on in the oven for just another 2 minutes or so, allowing the cheese to get browned and melty.

Remove from the oven, and let it sit about 5 minutes before cutting into it. If you don’t do this, it will come out of the pan crumbly on the bottom, like mine above!  But it’ll still taste good.  🙂