Entertaining for 10!!!

This weekend was Passover and we celebrated with a wonderful dinner at JR's parents house. Since everyone was in town visiting, I decided to show off our apartment and invited them all over for brunch on Sunday. I had to work up my nerve since there was going to be 10 of us which is more than double the number that I have ever entertained before. JR was super helpful and the whole thing went off without a hitch. I decided to go really simple and I think that certainly helped. We served:

Bagels with lox, tomatoes, onions & cream cheese
Fresh cantaloupe, mangoes & strawberries
Potato Frittata with Gruyere & Canada Bacon
Coffee, Tea & OJ


Everything required no cooking except the frittata which could be prepared in advance and served at room temperature. I had made the frittata for Christmas this past year with my family and we all loved it. I simplified the recipe, but it involves one thing that does take some time. Oven potatoes. Mom convinced me at Christmas to use left over potatoes instead of using raw potatoes. I was nervous about doing so, but it turned out so good I had to do it again this time. Saturday I made up a batch of my Mom's famous oven potatoes so that they wouldn't have to be done Sunday morning.


Once that was done, all I had to do Sunday morning was prep the Gruyere and canadian bacon and cook the frittata which only took about 30 minutes.


One thing I really love about this frittata is that it's so easy to serve. It really holds it's own. My father-in-law pointed out this morning that it's eggs, bacon and hash browns all in one, and what can be wrong with that!


Potato Frittata with Gruyere & Canada Bacon

1 dozen large eggs
2T water
Salt & Pepper
1 packed cup shredded Gruyere
4 ounces slices canadian bacon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 packed Lipton Soup mix (French Onion or Garlic & Herbs)
2 scallions sliced

1. First make up the potatoes. If you can plan in advance, make them for dinner the night before, and just use the left overs. Chop the potato into bite sized pieces and throw them in a ziplock bag. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the bag and the Lipton Soup mix. Mush them all around to make sure the mix is spread out over the potatoes and then dump the potatoes out onto a flat baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the water. Add in the salt, pepper, Gruyere and Canadian Bacon. Stir well.

3. Heat a little olive oil in a Calphalon Non-Stick fry pan and add the potatoes. If using leftovers, heat for 3-4 minutes. Add scallions and stir.

4. Add the egg mixture to the pan and stir to mix. Allow to cook over moderate heat until the bottom is just set. Gently lift the frittata on all sides to allow the egg to seep underneath.

5. Bake the frittata for about 15 minutes until the center is nearly set. Turn on the broiler and broil the frittata about 8 inches from the heat until the top is just beginning to brown.

6. Cut into wedges and serve.