Friday, February 4, 2011

French Fridays with Dorie - basque potato tortilla

It's a crazy time in my life right now, what with opening a new store.  I'm back to leaving the house around 7 am and getting home around 9:30 or 10:30 pm.  It's been a few years since I've kept those kind of hours and my older body is not as appreciative as my younger body once was.  I'm looking forward to Sunday to completely relax, catch up on sleep and pretty much just veg out...oh...and prepare for next week's FFwD also.  Since, the only way I can keep up with the weekly cooking is to do it on Sundays.

Last Sunday, I took a break from my new store opening craziness and made Dorie's basque potato tortilla for me and my boys for lunch.  I have to say, it was perfect for the slightly rainy, kind of cold day.  I had planned on making it in the morning and then letting it sit and we would eat it for dinner.  However, Ethan had other plans.  When I started cooking it, he said it smelled so good, could we eat it now?  So, we did!

In addition to making this lovely cross between an omelet and a frittata, I also made Dorie's piperade from her chicken basquaise recipe (which if you read my post last week...you know why I made the piperade).  I also cooked some nice apple wood smoked, thick cut bacon...which the guys decided was essential to pull off this dish (not my bacon, mind you...which is curing in the fridge and will be ready early next week...and I absolutely can't wait...but that will be for another post!).



The piperade was great with the "tortilla," adding a little spiciness, sweetness, color and juiciness to the dish.  The recipe ended up making a ton of the piperade, so I was able to freeze it in 3-serving batches and we can eat it over the next couple of months with all sorts of yummy things.

This was a straight forward dish to make, and I even managed to get it to come out of the skillet in one piece!  The only issue I had was with my new Le Creuset cast iron pan.  I did the potatoes and onions in the pan, knowing that it could go in the oven.  Well, everything stuck hideously (just like the first two times I used this pan)...much to St. James' dismay (since he's the pot cleaner).  If anyone has one of these skillets and knows the trick, let me know.  The salesperson said it's already seasoned and that I don't need to do anything to it...I think she lied.  I've now seasoned it and am hoping the next time it behaves better.  I ended up making the "tortilla" in my nice risotto pan...no problems there!


Thank you to everyone who's been sending their well wishes my way for the new venture.  I really appreciate it.  I haven't had the chance to visit all the FFwD blogs like I normally do, so maybe I'll get to catch up on that this weekend too.  You can too...by clicking here.
  




22 comments:

Lara B Knight said...

This looks wonderful!!! I am so behind on the French Friday, but I will get back to it!

Anne-Marie said...

Steph, I'm sorta in awe of you cooking this dish and opening your new store. I hope you have a lovely day vegging on Sunday. Will someone cook something for you?? That would be nice! As always, I enjoyed your post. Your writing is so down-to-earth. I love that!

Cher Rockwell said...

You are one busy lady, that's for sure. This dish was definitely full of stickage (and lots of pan cleaning for sure).
Hopefully, rest will come your way soon.

Ms. Hobby said...

I'm glad you were able to make the chicken basquaise after last week! Your tortilla looks great!

Roadtrek Girl said...

That bacon sounds like the perfect side for this dish. Glad you were able to make this and enjoy it-you deserve it with everything else going on around you.

Flourchild said...

What kind of store did you open? Im sure that can keep you busy! Your Tort...looks grand!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Wow, pairing with the piperade was a phenomenal idea! Your plate looks so delicious and inviting! (I had sticking issues, too.)

Frolicking Night Owl said...

mmm...so hungry now!!

Anonymous said...

Mmm, the sides you chose sound delicious. Will have to try it next time.

Anonymous said...

Your dish looks delicious, especially with the bacon on the side!

Mardi Michels said...

Um, you're opening a store AND you made two Dorie dishes? You deserve an award :-) Tortilla looks great and I love the addition of the bacon!

Beth said...

Steph, Congrats on your new store. That is so exciting. You have a lot more energy than I have. Good on you girl. Enjoyed the post and best of luck to you! B:)

Candy (Dulce) said...

I don't know how you do it!!! Amazing!

Your dish looks wonderful, and what a great story! Keep up the fabulous work!!

Great ideas - I will have to look at the other recipe, mmmmm... sounds terrific!

Now, get a little sleep!

Kris' Kitchen said...

Enjoyed your post...tell us more about your store. All this cooking will let out all the stress from your busy week, family, etc...if you are like me. My kitchen time is likened to my hubby's gym time...needs to happen about every day. Good luck with everything and hope things go well for you.

Kris' Kitchen said...

I have some of those pans and starchy ingredients, etc stick to them. This is often due to not enough moisture or too high a heat, but I definitely don't think of these pots as non-stick...they are great to hold the heat and to go from stove top to oven, and they roast meats at high oven temps and keep them moist...lots of good things...but they are sticky! And I think they are NOT seasoned...just coated.

Betsy said...

I used a Le Creuset skillet as well. It stuck badly. I was madly scrubbing in between the steps. My tortilla stuck too. Ooops! Piperade sounds like a perfect accompaniment. Hope the craziness subsides soon, but best wishes on your new venture with the store.

Kathy said...

Your tortilla looks delicious! Photos great as usual. I am impressed that you are opening a new store and still have time for Dorie! Wishing you all the best with your new store!

KarenP said...

The piperade looks like a perfect accompanimen! And of course the bacon too. :)

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

Your store sounds exciting and with a bacon , u must make another post about the shops, so looking forward:-)
The piperade sounds fantastic!
And with all the busy days u pulled this one sooo beautifully !
Ur risotto pan sounds good ,whichone is it?
I made the filling in our non stick pan and the tortilla in a cast iron pan but enameled!
Happy day!

Anonymous said...

yum! Your tortilla looks delicious. Good luck with your new venture. I'm sure you are exhausted, but we love reading your posts! Hope you are finding a little time for you.

Kathy said...

Steph, I have just been passed the Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award and the best part of getting this award, is I get to give it to other bloggers who I think deserve this recognition! So I am awarding it to you! You may pick it up on my blog. Great job!!

Lana said...

OK, I am going to go and hide somewhere! You are working THOSE hours, opening a new store, and still have time to cook and write with us? And I was just about to complain how I did not have time to write a post about the tortilla, even though I made it and photographed it (which is always a big relief for me:)
I love the idea of adding piperade to the tortilla - it needs a bit of spice IMHO:)
Congratulations on your new endeavor!