Harini's "Fried 'Tata" Frittata with Leeks and Green Peas

I developed this dish because my cousin, Harini, the family's newly anointed bride, requested a yummy frittata recipe, so I had to deliver. Before we start, you should know that this name is deceptive and purely for aesthetic effect--no potatoes were "fried" in this recipe; only baked. Frittatas are similar to quiches ..In fact, I don't quite know the difference, nor does it seem like Wikipedia knows the difference, but perhaps they are more like a cake or a ginormous omelet (PS "ginormous" is a word per MS spell check). I also made mine with special Indian-spiced veggies to give an Indian-take on a classic Spanish dish. I also (Ta-Da) created this recipe all by myself. Not one recipe book was consulted in the making of this recipe :) :) :) It's a moment of pride when someone who has no artistic skill whatsoever creates an enjoyable thing from scratch; that feels like art!

What I will say is that I have seen cooking shows in the past that use this particular technique of slicing and arranging the potatoes. I purchased a mandolin slicer to slice my taters into wafer thin circles. If you don't have one or want to purchase one, you can adapt by boiling and peeling your potatoes and then (once cooled to room temp or colder) cutting them into chunks before putting it into the egg batter. Traditional frittatas have chunky taters anyway.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
light cooking spray
1 Russet potato
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 green chilies
1.5 cups sliced leeks (1 leek = 1 cup about--you can adjust amt of leeks to taste)
2 tbsp cumin seed (1/2 tsp. keep aside for potatoes mix)
1 tbsp fennel seed
1 tsp turmeric powder (split into 2 separate amounts--half for masala and half for potatoes)
1 tsp red chili powder (split into 2 separate amounts)
1 tbsp. coriander powder
1/2 tbsp. garam masala powder
1 tomato
1 cup green peas (frozen or fresh)
8 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
salt
pepper
fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Wash the leeks extremely well. Leeks are delicious and look like someone took a magnifying glass and put it over a scallion. I generally find that leeks are really dirty when you first buy them--literally with dirt. You want to wash the hell out of them. A trick I learned from "Big Daddy" on the Food Network is to chop them up the way you want them and soak them in water for a bit and then drain. It worked well in this recipe. No dirty scallions up in my fried tata! It should get out all the gunk. So slice your leeks into about 1/8 in. slices all the way to the ends. Soak them in water in a bowl and set aside.

Leek and Peas Masala:
In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Once oil is hot, add 1.5 tbsp. cumin seed and all the fennel seed. Once spices are fried, turn temp down to medium and chop up your red onion and add. Let the onion fry a bit, and once they turn a little brown, chop and add garlic and green chilies. Mix these well until fairly cooked. Then add your remaining dry spices - 1/2 tsp. of turmeric, 1/2 tsp. of red chilly powder, all of the coriander powder and garam masala. I know it sounds like a lot of chopping, but it's pretty standard when making a masala/curry. I recently received a Cuisineart chopper as a gift. I haven't chopped in 3 months, so this didn't feel like extra work. I STRONGLY recommend getting one of these choppers--it cuts your cooking time in half. To this recipe, a lot of people might want to add ginger--which is common in masalas. Feel free to do that--I just didn't because I wanted more garlic flavor than ginger.
Once you've fried the garlic/onion/chilly masala, puree the tomato and add that to the mix. I prefer it pureed, but you can just chop it and add it in--however you usually make masala paste! If you want to add just chopped fresh tomato, fine--let it cook a bit, which softens the tomato, and then mash it with your spatula or wooden spoon. You could also puree everything but, you will lose the chunky texture that is common to a frittata, so I would not recommend that, although the flavor will be similar.

Once you've got a masala paste going, add your cup of peas. If frozen, you'll have to let it cook in the masala for a little extra time. Meanwhile, drain your leeks and wash again in a sieve or colander. Cook the veggies in the masala for about 10 minutes, mixing from time to time. Add salt to taste. It'll look like this:

Don't worry if it's a little spicy. The spice will dilute in the egg batter and after cooking. OK this part is done. Make sure you LET THIS COOL to room temperature. It's going into a raw egg batter, and you don't want scrambled eggs before you begin baking, so let it cool.

Potatoes:
In a separate bowl, slice your potatoes with a
mandolin slicer into wafer thin strips. This is what
it will look like:














Once sliced, you'll want to add your reserved spices to the potatoes: that is, 1/2 tbsp. of cumin seeds (dry roast these in a pan for a few minutes before adding), 1/2 tsp. of turmeric and 1/2 tsp. of red chilly powder. Add a pinch of salt and pepper as well to taste. Mix these well. Once you've mixed the spices into your raw sliced potato, you want to spray a circular cake pan with cooking spray. Then arrange your sliced potatoes in a clockwise pattern going in concentric circles from the center to edge of the pan. Once you've arranged them in circles going one way, start arranging them again in a counter-clockwise position. You want about 2 layers of sliced potatoes, with a few slices left to go twice around the sides. This is what it looks like:

Pop this guy into the oven for about 13 minutes. This is called "blind baking" like when you bake a pie crust by itself preliminarily before adding the filling and baking again, so your crust isn't soggy after the final product comes out of the oven. After blind baking, it should look like this:

Alright, again, let this cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, start getting out your eggs and cilantro. You want to take 8 eggs and beat them till you get a smooth batter. Adding 1/2 cup milk adds a little volume and smoothness to the batter, without the added cholesterol. Chop up a handful of cilantro leaves finely and add that in as well. Add a dash of salt and pepper to this if you want, but it's not necessary if your masala mixture is well- or over-spiced. Once your masala mixture is cooled down, you can add it to the egg. It will look like this:


Now once you've made sure your blind baked potato is cooled, you're ready to poor in the egg batter into the potato. Pour it in and bake it in the 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. After the first 30 minutes, check it every 5 minutes to make sure it's not overcooking. You want it undercooked in the center. Switch your oven to the Broil setting at the end of the baking. Broil it now for 4 to 5 minutes until the egg is fully cooked and the top is golden brown. Pull it out of the oven. Once the pan is cool enough to touch, place a flat plate on top of the pan and flip the frittata over so the potato part is on top. You should get something like the picture I posted at the beginning of this post.

Once you top it with cilantro and/or fresh red onion, it will look like this:















Serve and enjoy! Have it with the usual condiments you serve with samosas or omelets. I recommend ketchup or tomato chutney. Taters and Tomaters are a natural combination, so you can't go wrong. Happy recipe-ing!