When bagels with smoked salmon with a side of scrambled eggs aren’t on the Sunday morning menu here, I usually turn to a favorite standby, the totally adaptable frittata.

Easier and way quicker than a quiche – no crust required – an 8-egg frittata can serve 4 nicely for breakfast, brunch, or a light supper, with a side of toast and not much more.  A great way use leftover cheese or produce, too – today it was:

HAM, CHEESE & MUSHROOM FRITTATA

Start by preheating your oven to 425 – I use my countertop Breville convection oven for this because I love how it heats up quickly and uses much less energy than the kitchen oven.

Thinly slice about 5 ounces of crimini mushrooms; chop 1/2 cup red or white onion; dice a cup or so of ham (I used Vermont Cobb-smoked ham from a petite ham from WF); saute the mushrooms and onions in a few tbsp olive oil in a 10″ oven-proof skillet or, as shown above, in a tarte tatin pan over medium low heat until softened.  Meanwhile, beat 8 large eggs with 1/4 cup half & half, a pinch of salt (the cheese will add saltiness), a dash of Tabasco or white pepper, and then stir in about a cup or more of coarsely grated cheese – I had a leftover hunk of smoked gouda and one slice of Vermont cheddar – made a nice flavor combination.

Disperse the diced ham all over the vegetables in the pan and then pour the egg mixture over it.  I decided to also decorate the top with a few leaves of baby spinach.  Let stay on medium low heat a couple of minutes, and then transfer to your oven for 12-15 minutes, until the top is puffed and somewhat browned.

Let sit to cool on a rack about 5 minutes before slicing into four wedges.  It helps to run a thin spatula or knife around the edge to help get those wedges out cleanly.