New Year’s Day Brunch Frittata

Doing brunch? Listen up -- I’ve been through this! Every year, come New Year’s, my husband and I have sleepover guests and brunch on New Year’s Day. I know the ropes.

Over the years I’ve tried lots of recipes. Fancy and not-so-fancy. Simple foods and elaborate ones.

Here’s what I learned:

• Serve dishes you can cook ahead, that taste good whether you serve them hot, warm, or at room temperature and even when re-warmed.
• Forget last-minute recipes such as pancakes, matzo brei, sunnyside eggs, and other items that force you to be a short-order cook at your own party.
• Serve breakfast and light lunch foods: French Toast casserole, quiche, tuna melts, whole grain salads, and so on.
• Mix sweet and savory: Breakfast egg burritos and sugared mango slices for example.
• Serve at least one eggy item such as frittata, quiche, or egg-and-bread (crepe, pancake, etc.) based casseroles.
• Make salad items ahead but mix the solid ingredients and dressing together at the last minute (prevents soggy salad).
• Serve make-ahead breakfast pastries: muffins, scones, biscuits, or coffeecake.

One of our New Year’s menu dishes this year is Frittata with Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, and Cheese. I can make it ahead and re-warm in a preheated 350F oven, then keep it warm (turn oven down to 200F). It’s also good at room temperature. It goes with many other possible brunch dishes: tomato salad, roasted beets, or lentil salad, for example. I will also serve Khoshaf, an Egyptian style fruit compote, another make-ahead dish that is wonderful whether I serve it plain or with sorbet or ice cream. Finally, zucchini muffins. They harmonize with everything else I am serving. Also, I am baking them this week and they’ll be in the freezer, just waiting for brunch.

Frittata with Onions, Potatoes, Spinach and Cheese

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