Dill and Leek Tortilla

Last weekend I bought a bunch of dill from the supermarket. Even after gorging myself on cucumber salads through the week, I still have way too much dill left over. So I got to thinking about how else to use the dill... the thought processes went something like this: dill - sour cream - potato chips - bacon - eggs - breakfast - breakfast for dinner - quiche - tortilla!

I'm pretty familiar with quiches. My mom makes a good quiche and always fills it with a combination or broccoli, asparagus, ham, and/or mushrooms. The egg base for a tortilla, a frittata, and a quiche are really the same. Tortillas get the added benefit of potatoes, which compensate for their lack of a crust.

While a traditional frittata or tortilla is cooked in an oven-safe frying pan, I wanted to cook mine in a springform pan. I love using springform pans because they make serving deep-dish foods very easy. 

The problem with springform pans, however, is that they don't always seal! As I poured the egg base into the pan, I saw a big puddle leak out from under the pan! I guess I'll just have to do some kitchenwares shopping next weekend..."shucks!"

So here's the tortilla I ended up making:

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes (any waxy potato will work)

1 large leek

4 cloves garlic

handful of fresh dill

6 eggs

1 cup half and half

8 oz goats cheese

salt and pepper to taste

4 oz bacon (optional)

9-10 inch springform or pie pan (greased with olive oil or shortening)

-Heat oven to 350* F. 

POTATO AND LEEK PREP

-Slice the leek in 1/4inch-wide rounds. Rinsing them and breaking them apart under running water.

-In a large pot, sauté the leeks with a little olive oil and salt. Once the leeks are translucent, add the garlic and continue sautéing for a few minutes. 

-Wash the potatoes and slice them in thin rounds. Then chop the rounds into matchsticks.

-Add the potatoes to the sautéing leeks and continue cooking on medium-low for about ten minutes. This step is just to start the cooking process for the potatoes. Make sure you salt and pepper the potato and leek mixture. Seasoning as you go helps build flavor in several layers.

EGG BASE PREP

-In a large bowl, beat the goats cheese with a quarter-cup of the half and half. You can use a hand-held electric mixer or you can wisk this by hand if you want to give your wrists a workout. 

-Once the cheese is smooth, add the rest of the half and half, the eggs, and a handful of finely chopped dill. Mix this all together to add a little air to the mixture.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

-Mix the potato and leek mixture with the egg mixture and pour into the prepared pan.

-If you want to add a little meaty goodness to this dish, you can crisp up some bacon in a pan and sprinkle it on top of the tortilla mixture.

-Finally, chop up a little more dill and sprinkle it over everything. 

-Bake the tortilla for 40 to 50 minutes. You'll know it's done when it starts to brown on top and doesn't jiggle when you move the dish. It's a good idea to place a cookie sheet under the dish so that if any egg mixture spills over the sides of the dish, you won't have an entire oven to clean!

You'll find that this tortilla is perfect for breakfast (with a little hot sauce, perhaps?), lunch, or dinner (with a green salad tossed in a light vinaigrette)!

I'll be eating this tortilla all through the week. There's no chance of these leftovers going to waste!