Caramelized Onion & Sausage Frittata {recipe}

If you’ve checked out my Facebook page, you already know I’ve got a thing for Sunday breakfast.  You’d also know what I cooked this week, and that I sliced half of my thumb off with my mandoline over the weekend.  See what you’re missing?!

But I digress.  Let’s get back to breakfast.

Six days of the week, I eat plain ole eggs with toast for breakfast, and I’m more than ok with it.  But things change when Sunday rolls around.  That’s when I start to crave something special–maybe a breakfast burrito or home fries or a big fat Belgian waffle.  Despite this urge for decadence, nothing makes me happier than enjoying my lavish breakfast spread from the comfort of my pj’s, in my own house, sipping my own coffee.

While I was brainstorming things to cook this weekend, I got a sudden craving for caramelized onions.  I adore caramelized onions.  They are soft and sweet and incredible on sandwiches and pizza, but I’ve never tried them with breakfast.  I didn’t want to risk a breakfast flop, so I paired the caramelized onions with the foods I love most at breakfast:  sausage, potatoes, egg, and cheese.  The meal took longer than usual to pull together, but the end result made the effort worthwhile (ten times over).

Caramelized Onion & Sausage Frittata

Serves 4 (or 6 small eaters)

• 1 medium white onion, caramelized (see below)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• S&P
• 2 links hot chicken or turkey sausage
• 1 russet potato
• 3 whole eggs
• 5 egg whites
• Splash of milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 ounces shredded cheese (I used a blend of white cheddar and Gruyère)

Caramelized onions:  Thinly slice the onion.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion, season with S&P to taste, and stir to coat with oil.  Continue to sauté, stirring occasionally until the onions are dark brown, half an hour to an hour, depending on the heat.  The slower you cook the onions, the more flavor they’ll have.  If you’re in a hurry, cook the onions over medium-high heat, if not reduce the heat to medium after five minutes.  Caramelized onions can be prepared in advance and will keep for several days in the refrigerator.   

Step One:  Place sausages on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping half way through.  Allow to cool slightly, then slice into bite-sized pieces.

Step Two:  Meanwhile, thinly slice the potato.  In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, sauté the potatoes slices in a single layer over high heat.  Season with S&P.  Cook for a few minutes on each side until the potato slices are crisp (like potato chips).  Alternatively, you can crisp the potatoes in the oven — just make sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

Step Three:  Coat a glass pie dish with cooking spray.  Lay the potato slices across the bottom of the dish, overlapping as needed.  Top the potatoes with the caramelized onions and sausage.

Step Four:  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, splash of milk, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt (or less if the sausage  is very salty).   Pour egg mixture into the prepared pie dish.

Step Five:  Bake at 350 degree for 30 minutes, then top with shredded cheese, and bake five minutes more.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Stats on 1/4 of frittata:  251 calories, 9g carbs, 13g fat, 23g protein, 1g fiber