Country French Omelet

There are quite a few people on Food Network that I enjoy watching and one of them is Barefoot Contessa.  Anytime I see that her show is on I have to see what she’s making, everything she makes looks incredible and so delicious.  She really just has a way of drawing people in and making them want to go in the kitchen and cook along with her, at least that is the affect she has on me!  She is so calm and seems so down to earth and that makes her so enjoyable to watch.  She has so much knowledge and so many experiences from her travels and she wants to share them with everyone, and she does that all through her cooking.   I always learn something from her, no matter what it is she is cooking, but when she started doing the “Back to Basics” series I was intrigued because she was cooking with ingredients that most everyone has in their home at all times.  To me it seems like she wants to people to have the passion and joy for cooking she does so she has dedicated this series to cooking with everyday ingredients but pairs them in a way to make exceptional meals that appeals to everyone. 

When Barefoot Contessa started her  “Back to Basics” series she also introduced a cookbook, “Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics”, to go along with her show.  When I saw this cookbook I knew I wanted it, I had seen her cook too many good things from it to not have it in my collection and I had also read where it was full of tips and pointers to get the best out of every ingredient used.  For my birthday last year, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law got this for me and I was so excited, but I was pregnant and still in the early stages of my pregnancy so cooking wasn’t really that appealing to me.  Although I couldn’t really stomach cooking at the time I got it, I read through it and found tons of recipes I couldn’t wait to make. 

The Country French Omelet was the first recipe I made from this cookbook, and I have to say it was very good.  Spencer could have eaten the entire thing himself, so if you have a big eater in your house you may want to make them their own, or have something else to serve along with it.  I add a couple of things to this omelet but it would be just as delicious if it were made without my additions.  This was so good and now I can’t wait to make my next recipe from this cookbook!

 

Country French Omelet

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp good olive oil

3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Cup unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

5 Extra large eggs

3 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives

1/2 Small onion, diced

1/4 Cup cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in an ovenproof omelet pan over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook, once fat begins to appear translucent add onions.  Let cook until bacon becomes crisp and onions are tender.  Remove onions and bacon from pan with a slotted spoon and set on a plate lined with a paper towel.  Leave bacon grease in pan.

Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, until very tender and browned, tossing occasionally to brown evenly.  Remove with a slotted spoon to the same plate with the bacon.

Meanwhile, in a medium bow, beat the eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together with a fork.  AFter the potatoes are cooked remove from the pan.  Pour the fat out of the pan and discard.  Add the butter, lower the heat to low, and pour the eggs into the hot pan.  Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes and chives evenly over the eggs and put in oven  for about 8 minutes, just until eggs are set.  Sprinkle cheese over the top right when it’s removed from the oven.  Slide onto a plate and cut in half, serve while hot.

Recipe Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics