by: Alison Hein

I just returned from Texas after visiting with my sister in law Suzanne and her husband Randy. They have a beautiful ranch house set in the woods, surrounded by rolling hills and green oak trees. Suzanne’s kitchen is amazing, and each time I visit, I long to cook there. You may recall this lovely location for my great sugar burn experience while preparing a holiday flan a few years back.

With some brief moments of hesitance, I decided to return to the scene of the crime and whip up a nice breakfast. A quick search in the fridge yielded abundant selection, and I decided to prepare a nice, big frittata, loaded up heavy on the meat, Texas-style. Randy became my sous chef while Suzanne set a sparkling table.

Suzanne’s bright blue Le Creuset casserole dish was perfect for sautéing sausage, cooking vegetables, setting eggs, popping in the oven, and serving with style. A few torn basil leaves from Suzanne and Randy’s herb garden and a bottle of zesty hot sauce completed our impromptu breakfast in bed, Texas-style.

Ingredients

1 pound breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons high-heat olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces fresh spinach leaves
7 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 – 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Fresh basil, for garnish
Hot sauce, for serving

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Place a 10-inch ovenproof frying pan on stove over medium heat. Crumble sausage into pan and continue to cook until completely browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside. Wipe out pan completely and return to the stovetop.

Pour olive oil into the pan and heat over medium heat. Add chopped onion to pan, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more. Add spinach leaves by the handful until they are all wilted. Reduce heat to low.

Break eggs into a large bowl, and whisk until smooth and thickened. Add cooked breakfast sausage crumbles to the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the onion-mushroom-spinach mixture. Continue to cook, gently moving uncooked eggs back around the sides of the pan, until edges are lightly set, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Place frittata in oven to finish, baking for about 10 minutes, until lightly puffed up and golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle the top of the frittata with parmesan cheese. Place frying pan under broiler, about 5 inches from direct heat and broil until cheese is melted and very lightly browned, about 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.

Makes 4 – 6 servings.