Home Fries

Ingredients
2 large raw Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch thick)
1/2 of one large onion, or 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp or more of grapeseed or canola oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Steps
1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a medium to large skillet on medium high heat until sizzling. Place a single layer of potato slices on the bottom of the pan. Add a light layer of sliced onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add another layer of potatoes, another layer of onion slices, sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Keep layering until you've used up your potatoes and onions.

2. Lower the heat to medium and cover the pan. Let cook for about 10 minutes, until the potato layer at the bottom is nicely browned. You can move aside a little bit with a fork to see if the bottom edges are browned.

3. Gently flip the potatoes over, a section of the pan at a time, so that the layer that was on the top is now on the bottom, and the browned potatoes are now on the top. Add another Tbsp of oil. The oil will help the browning. Cover and let cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the bottom layer is now browned.

4. Once the bottom layer is browned, remove the lid of the pan and let continue to cook for 5 more minutes. This additional cooking will help the potatoes dry out just a little bit more. Serve immediately. Serves 2-4.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Crispy Hash Browns

Ingredients
3 T olive oil
1 lb Russet baking potatoes, peeled and grated
Salt and pepper
Large frying pan (at least a 9" diameter bottom)
Potato ricer

Steps
1. Heat 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium high heat.

2. While the pan is heating, squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the grated potatoes. It's easiest to do this with a potato ricer, using it much like you would a garlic press, except you don't force the potatoes through the ricer. You just press out the moisture. If you don't have a ricer, use paper towels to squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the grated potatoes.

3. When the oil in the pan heats up to the point of shimmering, but not smoking, add the grated potatoes, spreading them out along the bottom of the pan. The potatoes should not be too thick in any one place, no more than a half inch thick. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the potatoes. After a few minutes, lift up one edge of the potatoes and see how done they are. If they have fried to a golden brown they are ready to flip. Use a large spatula to flip the potatoes over all at once, or divide the large potato cake into halves or quarters and flip. Continue to cook until they are golden brown on the bottom. Serves 4.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Hard Boiled Eggs

Steps
Try to use eggs that are several days old. If this is Easter time, and everyone is buying their eggs at the last minute, buy your eggs 5 days in advance of boiling. Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will lead to eggs that are difficult to peel.

1. Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch of cold water. Starting with cold water and gently bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. Adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the water will help keep the egg whites from running out of any eggs that happen to crack while cooking, but some people find that the vinegar affects the taste. Put the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds.

2. Reduce the heat to low, return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one minute. (I usually skip this step because I don't notice the eggs boiling until they've been boiling for at least a minute! Also, if you are using an electric stove with a coil element, you can just turn off the heat. There is enough residual heat in the coil to keep the eggs simmering for a minute.)

3. After a minute, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. If you are doing a large batch of eggs, after 10 minutes you can check for doneness by sacrificing one egg, removing it with a slotted spoon, running it under cold water, and cutting it open. If it isn't done, cook the other eggs a minute or two longer. The eggs should be done perfectly at 10 minutes.

5. Either remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (this is if you have a lot of eggs) OR strain out the water from the pan, fill the pan with cold water, strain again, fill again, until the eggs cool down a bit. Once cooled, strain the water from the eggs. Store the eggs in a covered container (eggs can release odors) in the refrigerator. They should be eaten within 5 days.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Ingredients
6 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Blackberries for garnish, optional.

Steps
1. Heat a griddle. Whip egg whites until they hold firm, glossy peaks, and set aside. Beat ricotta, butter, egg yolks and vanilla together, and set aside.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and zest. With a rubber spatula, stir dry ingredients gently into the ricotta mixture. Stir a spoonful of whipped egg whites into the batter; then gently fold in the remainder.

3. Grease the heated griddle, if necessary. Drop 3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake on the griddle, allowing space for spreading.

4. Cook until golden on the bottom and the top shows a bubble or two. Gently flip, and cook until undersides are light brown. Dust with powdered sugar. Top with berries, if desired. Yield: About 20 small hot cakes

Adapted from the Four Seasons Hotel New York
RU

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Ingredients
6 eggs
6 T flour
6 T butter, melted
1 c cottage cheese
1 dash salt

Steps
Blend in blender, cuisinart, or mixer (to puree the cottage cheese)
If you do not have any of the above, push the cottage cheese through a
strainer and beat the ingredients together well with a whisk.

Heat skillet or frying pan until a few drops of water when sprinkled on it dance and evaporate. Then grease skillet with veg. oil. Pour a little on the skillet and spread around with a paper towel, or with a spatula. All you need is a thin film. Serves 4

RU

Apple Crepes

Ingredients
Batter:
1 2/3 cups flour
4 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling and assembly:
4 tablespoons butter
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into rounds 1/4" thick
½ cup sugar
Whipped cream, ice cream or Devonshire cream, for garnish.

Steps
1. To prepare batter, place flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Add eggs one at a time, stirring softly in middle to mix egg gradually with flour. Add milk a little at a time until it is smoothly incorporated. Add salt and sugar, and stir to mix. Pass batter through a fine sieve, and then mix in melted butter. Refrigerate up to 12 hours.

2. To assemble, place an 8-inch nonstick omelet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter and 4 or 5 apple slices. When butter starts to color, turn apple rounds, and pour in 1/4 cup crepe batter, tilting pan to coat it evenly.

3. When batter is set and browning at edges, flip crepe with a wide plastic spatula. Top with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon sugar. Brown about 1 minute, flip again. Immediately transfer to a serving plate. Top with whipped cream, ice cream or Devonshire cream. Repeat. Yield: 8 servings

Adapted from Fleur de Sel
RU

Corn Pancakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh, frozen, or canned and drained
1 tablespoon grated onion
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, separated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sour cream and 2 ounces golden or black caviar, optional.

Steps
1. Heat griddle. Stir cornmeal, flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Add corn, onion and a grinding of pepper; stir to coat.

2. Whisk together buttermilk, egg yolks and 2 tablespoons butter. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks.

3. Stir buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients until just blended. Add beaten egg whites, and gently fold in.

4. Lightly grease the heated griddle. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter onto griddle for each pancake. On medium-low heat, cook until tops have small bubbles, bottoms are lightly browned and edges are beginning to set. Carefully turn and brown other side. Brush with melted butter.
5. Serve with sour cream and caviar, if desired. Yield: About 24 small pancakes.

Adapted from "Pancakes A to Z" by Marie Simmons
RU

French Toast

Ingredients
5 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup Triple Sec
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
8 thick slices of day-old bread, better if slightly stale
Maple syrup
Fresh berries
Butter

Steps
1. Beat eggs and milk together. Add the Triple Sec, orange zest, and cinnamon. Whisk until well blended. Pour into a shallow bowl.

2. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. Melt some butter (or use vegetable oil) over a skillet on medium high heat. Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary.

3. Serve hot with butter, maple syrup, and fresh berries. Serves 4.

Adapted from the Silver Palate
www.simplyrecipes.com

Sausage Breakfast Bake

Ingredients
1 lb of Italian pork sausage, (then cooked, drained, crumbled)
4 1/2 cups cubed day old bread
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
10 eggs slightly beaten
4 cups whole milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Optional:
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup peeled, chopped tomatoes

Steps
1. Heat a skillet on medium high. Break up the sausage into chunks and cook, working in batches if need be, until browned all around. Make sure the chunks of sausage have some space around them or your meat will steam and not brown. Remove the cooked sausage from the pan and let sit on some paper towels on a plate to soak up the excess fat. Crumble into smaller pieces.

2. Place bread in a well buttered 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine the eggs, milk, dry mustard, onion powder and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and cheese. Sprinkle sausage and optional ingredients over the top.

3. At this stage you can cover and chill overnight, if you want to prepare ahead. If not, let sit for 10 minutes before putting in the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake uncovered for about one hour. Tent with foil if top begins to brown too quickly. Serves 6-8.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Poached Eggs

Directions
Bring water in a saucepan to almost boiling. If the water is already boiling, lower the heat until it is no longer boiling. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar to the water. Vinegar allows the egg whiles to congeal more easily. Crack open and gently drop the eggs into the water, one by one. With a spoon, nudge the egg whites closer to their yolks. This will help the egg whites hold together.

Turn off the heat. Cover. Let sit for 3-4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked.

Lift eggs out of pan with a slotted spoon.

Another trick to make the eggs stay somewhat contained is to take a ring from a mason jar and place it in the pan. Drop the egg over the Mason jar ring and let it settle in the ring, then turn off the heat and cover.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients
Fresh eggs, six
Green onion, 2 chopped all the way including the green parts
Fresh tomato, 1 peeled and chopped if in season, 2 from a can if good fresh tomatoes are not available
One canned jalapeño pepper, sliced*
Olive oil, 2 Tbsp
Oregano, a sprinkling of fresh if available, dry if not
Salt, one shake from a salt shaker for every egg used
Cilantro leaves, fresh and chopped, a couple of Tbsp

Steps
Heat oil in a large cast iron frying pan on medium high heat.
Add the onions and brown for a minute or two.
Add the chopped tomato and let cook for a few minutes on medium high heat until the tomatoes are somewhat cooked and mushy and some of the moisture has evaporated. Its okay if the tomatoes brown a bit.
Add the oregano.
Add the jalapeño pepper.
Crack eggs directly into the pan with the cooking sauce.
Add salt.
Stir with a spatula to mix in the sauce and to lightly scramble the eggs. Remove from heat when the eggs cook to the desired consistency.
If you are using a cast iron pan, remove the eggs from the pan and put into a serving bowl. Otherwise the eggs will continue to cook in the heat of the pan.
Sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with bread or heated tortillas. Serves 2 or 3.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Spinach Frittata

Ingredients
1 lb spinach leaves (about 2 bunches), cleaned, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced
9 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes, about 2 Tbsp chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 oz goat cheese

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Cook spinach in 1/4 cup of water in a covered saucepan until just wilted, a couple minutes. Drain water and set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. Sauté onions in olive oil in an oven-proof, stick-free skillet, until translucent, about 2 minutes on medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté a minute further. Add cooked spinach and mix in with onions and garlic.

5. Spread out spinach mixture evenly on bottom of skillet. Pour egg mixture over spinach mixture. Use a spatula to lift up the spinach mixture along the sides of the pan to let egg mixture flow underneath.

6. Sprinkle bits of goat cheese over the top of the frittata mixture. When the mixture is about half set, put the whole pan in the oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until frittata is puffy and golden. Remove from oven with oven mitts and let cool for several minutes. Although the pan may be out of the oven for a few minutes, the handle is still very hot. To keep from accidentally picking it up by the handle while hot (speaking from experience, ouch!) take a piece of ice and melt it against the pan's handle to cool it down.

Cut into quarters to serve. Serves four.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Asparagus Frittata

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off, spears cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Steps
Heat olive oil into a 10-inch oven-proof frying pan over medium high heat. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the asparagus are barely tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour in eggs and cook until almost set, but still runny on top, about 2 minutes. While cooking, pre-heat oven broiler.

Sprinkle cheese over eggs and put in oven to broil until cheese is melted and browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven with oven mitts and slide frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges.
Serves 4.

Adapted from Sunset Magazine
www.simplyrecipes.com