Goat Cheese Frittata

I told you we were going to spend the weekend celebrating . . . well I've been fantasizing for about eight months of having a celebration dinner with the family where we'd have our traditional and festive raclette but then with a crazy and wonderful twist.

You see, I'm kind of a cheapo. Andrew says it's better to say "frugal" but I'm one of those types that tends to think you can't save enough and cheaper is always better.  If you couple that with my parenting style it means that I don't buy my kids fancy stuff. They get enough obviously but I think it's better for kids not to be lavished with gifts so we usually keep things simple. And cheap. Have I said I'm cheap?

But this time . . . after the year we've had and after having to skip birthdays and Christmas presents and after having the kids be so supportive I wanted to do something wild. I wanted to surprise them in a way that they'd never been surprised before.  We went and got them each the thing that they wanted most in the world, something that they'd never even hope to get for a regular birthday or Christmas then I wrapped each gift and stuck it on their chair at the dinner table so that the tablecloth hung down to hide the bows and wrapping paper.

I was so excited about my plan that I had a hard time sleeping the night before but at dinner when they went to sit down and each pulled out their chair they blinked a few times and looked at the packages as if they hadn't a clue as to how a fancy box could have grown out of the seat. Once they realized what it was, it was like all the Christmas mornings we've ever had wrapped into one. We'd invited Grandma and Grandpa over to join in the fun and as each child opened his or her gift they couldn't stop saying thank you and how they never expected anything like it (which is part of the reason we could treat them--if they'd expected it we wouldn't have done it).

Anyway, it was probably the most memorable family celebration ever and a great way to say thank you to the kids.  And you know what? One of the things I've learned this year is how important it is to be generous, especially at the right times. But at any rate I thought you might be able to enjoy the moment vicariously nearly as much as I have.

As a conclusion to the evening we got together and watched a movie. Usually it's a disaster when we try to all watch the same movie, inevitably someone is unhappy in the selection but I'd picked up Shorts after seeing a funny preview and it turned out to be one of those movies that entertain when you least expect it.

It's made by the same director/producer who made Spy Kids (if you saw that one) and it's got a lot of the same tongue-in-cheek feel. It's about some kids who find a magic wishing rock and the crazy things they wish for and it's funny enough to be entertaining for adults too.

Some of the jokes had us rolling and the cast was great. The story is told in short segments (hence the title) that jump forward and backward in the plotline to fill in details. But I can promise that we ALL thought it was fun, from the 8 year-old up to Andrew and I. Definitely worth a rental and a great finish to our evening.

. . . and finally I get to the main subject--frittata--which is nearly as good as raclette. Though with that goat cheese it's particularly good (I love a soft goat cheese like Montrachet). More great recipes for breakfast and brunch.

1 tablespoon olive oil:
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried sage
9 eggs
¾ t salt
½ t pepper
4 oz crumbled montrachet or goat cheese

Saute potatoes and onions in olive oil.  Cook 5 minutes, then cover and cook until tender (about 15 minutes).  Add marjoram, rosemary, salt and sage and stir to combine.

Then beat eggs, adding salt, pepper and cheese.

Pour egg mix into potato mix, garnishing with slices of red peppers in a spiral pattern on the top and cook on the stove until set, 2 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake at 350 until set in center, 15 min.