Turkey Sausage & Fingerling Potato Frittata with Alaskan Farm Fresh Eggs

November 28, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ 1 Comment

If I’ve ever had farm fresh eggs before this frittata, I certainly don’t remember it. I grew up in Bakersfield, CA, in a small tract-style home with a mature naval orange tree growing in the backyard. It always gave us more fruit than we could handle, so we often showed up to friends houses with large grocery bags full of oranges. This wasn’t unique to the Sanchez family either, many residents of Bakersfield had flourishing fruit trees, or held jobs with the growers of the valley. Bags of carrots, cartons of oranges, sacks of almonds and cases of grapes were all readily exchanged for goods and services among friends and family members. So I find it seriously strange that I cannot recall having had farm fresh eggs! There must have been a time, but it’s lost among the other early Bakersfield memories that have begun to fade from my mind.

Living in Fairbanks, AK really limits the availability of fresh anything, so when a friend dropped off farm fresh eggs from the farm of a mutual acquaintance, I was elated! Farm fresh eggs, in interior Alaska? Is that even possible? Apparently, it is. And these chicken champions lay some delicious eggs.

I knew that I wanted to make a dish starring these beautiful eggs, and a frittata immediately came to mind. This happened to fall on Isaac’s first day home from a week-long business trip, so we put the kids down for a nap, and cracked some eggs for a hearty mid-week brunch.

Mild Italian turkey sausage, fingerling potatoes, onion and cheddar provide the filling while thyme, rosemary and basil round out the flavors. It’s a easy dish made with ingredients we usually have on hand.

Turkey Sausage & Potato Frittata with Alaskan Farm Fresh Eggs

Author: Crystle

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 8

Simple turkey sausage and potato frittata made with farm fresh Alaskan eggs.

Ingredients

4-6 fingerling potatoes, diced into small bite sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 lb mild italian turkey sausage, cooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 farm fresh eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried sweet basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp kosher sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup cheddar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

Instructions

Put oven rack on highest shelf, and turn on broiler to low.
In an oven safe skillet, sautè onions, potatoes and cooked turkey sausage on medium high heat until the onions are translucent and the potatoes are soft.
In a separate mixing bowl, add eggs, dried spices, and milk, mixing into fluffy consistency. Add cheddar and mix.
Reduce heat to low, level the vegetables in the skillet, add egg mixture. Cook until the eggs set around the edges (about 3-4 minutes).
Place skillet in oven, and cook another 2-4 minutes, checking frequently to prevent scorching. When the surface of the frittata is taut and golden, remove from oven. Allow frittata to set for five minutes before serving.

Notes

Allowing the frittata to rest prevents it from sticking to your skillet. It also makes it easier to slice.[br]Feel free to sub-in turkey breakfast sausage to bring this back into the breakfast arena. [br]I cook my turkey sausage in advance, and add it into Annie’s Mac n Cheese, breakfast burritos, or frittatas for quick meals that are toddler-friendly.

Roasted Red Potato & Whipped Feta Galette

June 26, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ Leave a comment

Roasted Red Potato and Whipped Feta Galette

I’m already in the third trimester of this pregnancy — that was quick. My belly is expanding rapidly, my wardrobe is shrinking considerably, and my appetite is growing as quickly as this baby is. The fatigue is also catching up with me, especially with Margot in full toddler-mode, running all over the house, leaving a frenzied mess in her wake. I’ve been grappling with a bout of SPD, a lot like what I experienced when I was pregnant with Margot. As such, grocery shopping has been delegated to Isaac, usually in the form of a text message requesting last minute items to be picked up at the commissary on his way home from work. It’s not ideal, but that’s how it has been this month.

Roasted Red Potato and Whipped Feta Galette Plus my seven-year-old cheese grater finally kicked the bucket last week. It’s a reminder that all my remaining single-girl gear I accumulated in college is on its way out and that yes, I am a mother, and the things I like to buy now are for my business, my kids or my kitchen. Boooring.

Anyway, a giant cheddar block in the fridge just sits there, wishing I would transform it into cheese sticks for the toddler, or shredded cheese to top on chili. Not happening.

Roasted Red Potato and Whipped Feta Galette

A large block of feta sits beside it in the fridge, begging to go to bat. I finally relented opting for a scavenged galette, using whatever I could find on hand. Pre-made pie crust, red onion, red potatoes, dry herbs and Feta (no cheese grater needed!) — I could make this work using my trusty Galette recipe from Pam Anderson’s Cook Without a Book – Meatless Meals.

Whipping the feta with cream cheese made it into a tangy and smooth cheese base for the roasted potatoes and onions. Rosemary and garlic herbs provided most of the flavor, while the flaky pie crust kept it all together. It’s a winning combo that’s easy to dress up. If I had more ingredients on hand, I likely would have added cherry tomatoes to the potatoes before roasting so they’d offer a nice blistery juice to the galette. I might also add fresh Rosemary to shape the flavor better. As it is, this dish is a great side for a plate of Steak and a side salad. It’s an indulgent, carb-loaded, cheesy pastry that really hits the spot.

Roasted Red Potato and Whipped Feta Galette

Try making extra whipped feta to dip veggies in later, or slather it on a piece of toast with a dollop of bruschetta.

I would love to toss some bow tie pasta and arugula into the whipped feta for a quick lunch — if I can remember to ask a certain someone to bring those ingredients on his way home from work.

Roasted Red Potato & Whipped Feta Galette

Author: Crystle

Carb-loaded, cheesy goodness.

Ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust
4 cups small red potatoes, cut into 1/2″ bite-sized pieces (about 7 small red potatoes)
1 cup diced red onion (1 medium red onion)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Rosemary Garlic blend seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
3/4 cup cream cheese
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Rinse potatoes, and cut into 1/2″ bite-sized pieces. Dice onion. In large mixing bowl, toss potato and onions in olive oil and seasonings. Spread out evenly on baking sheet, and place in cold oven on low rack. Turn oven on to 425F and allow vegetables to roast 15-20 minutes, turning over once mid-way to ensure even cooking.
Meanwhile, add feta to food processor and blend until smooth. Add cream cheese and milk and blend until creamy.
Unroll pie crust onto second baking sheet.
When vegetables are done cooking, transfer them to the large mixing bowl and mix with 1 cup of the whipped feta mixture. Coat evenly.
Pour vegetable mixture over the pie crust, leaving 2″ border around the perimeter. Fold crust up toward the center of the circle. Bake at 425F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow pastry to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Add 1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes to the veggie mixture before roasting in the oven. The blistered tomatoes will add a nice juicy touch to the galette.[br][br]Whipped feta recipe adapted from Ina Garten. [br][br]Galette recipe adapted from Pam Anderson’s Galette guidelines in Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals.

For more, check out my other go-to Galette recipe: Southwest Sweet Potato Galette.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

June 12, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ 4 Comments

This particular batch of Vanilla Extract is about 8 months in the making. You see, I started just before Christmas and each time that I shook it and popped it open, I just wasn’t getting that fragrant vanilla extract smell I’m used to. Blame the bionic pregnancy nose for that one.

Don’t be intimidated by the time I took on this. The recommended time to allow your vanilla to steep is 8 weeks, but I wanted a much more concentrated bottle. Now when I pop open the seal on this bottle of extract, a sweet vanilla scent escapes, and when blended into a batch of my Philadelphia-style ice cream that I make on the reg, the smooth vanilla goodness is enough to keep me from throwing in any additional add-in flavors. And trust me, I love ice cream add-ons.

This is probably one of the easiest recipes you’ll encounter for such an artisan kitchen staple. Vodka, and vanilla beans. That’s all you need.

I use Madagascar Vanilla Beans from Beanilla. You can buy them on Amazon, or directly from Beanilla’s website. Beanilla has excellent customer service, and great prices on bulk Vanilla Beans. I buy them in bundles of 25 and enjoy the standard free shipping. Living in Alaska, free shipping is a huge a bonus.

Start this recipe now for a more concentrated batch of aged Vanilla Extract to give out as Christmas gifts, or to keep for yourself. Or try letting it sit for the recommended 8 weeks and see how you like it!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Author: Crystle

Prep time: 1 min

Total time: 1 min

Homemade Vanilla Extract – Easy and Inexpensive

Ingredients

5-7 Vanilla Beans
8-10 ounces Vodka

Instructions

Split vanilla beans lengthwise to expose vanilla caviar. Place in bottle and cover with Vodka. Make sure vanilla beans are completely submerged. Shake bottle to allow ingredients to incorporate a little bit.
Shake once a week for 8 weeks, then your extract is ready to use. There may be small debris in the bottle, this is made up of the vanilla bean caviar. It’s totally normal, and absolutely flavorful. Store in a dark place at room temperature and enjoy to the last drop!

Notes

Ratio of vanilla beans to Vodka is 3-5 vanilla beans per cup of Vodka. [br][br]You can use bottom shelf hooch if your budget prefers. [br][br]Vodka is a recommendation. Any clear liquor will do the trick.