Eggcellent recipe: a high protein, herby and easy cheesy meal for all (especially toddlers)
Prep: 15 min // Bake: 5 min
Have you ever tried omelette with feta?
If you've been to the Greek Cyclades you must surely have tried a typical breakfast omelette with herbs, feta and capers. If not, definitely put it on your bucket list for next time. Inspired by the islands, I've given it a twist adding the potato and a quick oven bake to make it look like a Spanish tortilla and a small dose of smoked paprika to give it a flavour boost.
An easy to cook and versatile meal for every hour of the day, suitable for infants over 10 months, and packs as a snack in kids' lunch box too (refrigerates for 24 hours for next day use). My son absolutely loved it as it is structured and textured and have big doses of his favourite starchy root. I keep changing the herbs every now and then so that he is exposed to different combinations and, of course, don't get him spoiled and bored on this high protein meal.
I've kept the recipe light and healthy for adults and kids by 2 simple twists:
Use extra virgin olive oil (not butter) and kept the frying times pretty low to prevent saturation. I love this Cretan oil which you can buy from Amazon (click my link to go straight to the product page) or selected grocery stored selling Greek products.
Buy a special authentic Greek feta brand with 40% less salt, ideal for kids and low salt diets. I doubt you can find it in mainstream supermarkets in the UK but my local Middle eastern grocery has a great variety of Greek imported feta, including my all-time favourite 'Epiros':
Tips and Tricks
No peel potato trick: I stopped peeling potatoes since I watched a kitchen hack video on YouTube with a bloke pricking the potato with a knife so that the potato is boiled skin on retaining the flavour (which mostly lies in the skin) and then just let it chill down and pull the skins off. Alternatively, I also like cutting the potato in 4, the peel magically separates from the core during boiling and fish it out with a fork. Time and nutrition saved!
Add a splash of water in the egg mixture and (optionally) 1/2 tsp of baking powder if you wish some extra fluffiness and volume.
Ovenproof pan: I suggest buying one small non-stick and ovenproof pan (no plastic handle, around 14cm diameter, like this. It might sound expensive but is really worth if quality is what you seek. Cheap ones, like the one I used in the photos below, are very likely to lose their non-stickiness effect very soon, not to mention most of the cheap stuff doesn't have these pouring spouts which make a real difference. This pan is ideal for cooking small portions like this, quickly. It should have the capacity to make a 2-3 egg frittata or boil 2-3 eggs if you prefer boiled.
Greek Oregano: can't stress enough how intensely aromatic the Greek oregano is. Nothing compared to the mainstream supermarket brands or even the ones sold as Greek elsewhere. It's so cheap in Greece so if you happen to travel to Greece and eat that omelette, pack a big bag of dried oregano along with your olive oil. I promise it will keep its intensity no matter how many weeks or months you have the bag opened. If you don't travel anytime soon, head down the end of this post to my recommendations and buy online.
Equipment
Bowl, Ovenproof non-stick pan
Servings
1 adult or 2 toddlers (avoid feta for babies as it contains salt and not pasteurized milk)
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 spring onion
1 small potato
30g Feta cheese
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)
2 sprigs fresh thyme (fresh dill or mint also work well)
1 tsp Olive oil (for frying)
Freshly grounded pepper
Directions
Start by cooking the potatoes – prick the potato all the way around with a sharp knife and place in boiling water. Boil for 10-15 minutes or until fork-tender and skins separate.
While potatoes are boiling, finely slice the onion, strip the thyme leaves.
In a bowl beat the eggs and then add the paprika, oregano, thyme and crumble the feta in the mix. Season with some pepper and set aside.
Pour some olive oil in the pan and fry the onion in medium heat for 1-2 min until soft.
While the onion is frying, drain the water from the potatoes and wash them with cold water so you can handle. Slice it in small cubes 1-2cm and toss them in the pan
Lower the heat and cook the potatoes briefly for 30 sec and then pour the egg mixture. Give it a good stir and let it fry for 2-3 minutes (lift the sides with a silicone spatula to check if the base is set)
Pop the pan under the grill for further 2 minutes or until the omelette is cooked through.
Recommended Products
Below are my favourite authentic products I used to cook and shoot this recipe. If you can't see the icons and links, please deactivate your ad-blocker and refresh the page :-)
Shop the look: If you like the serving styling in my photos, here are some suggestions for products you can buy from Amazon and build similar dining sets of your own
Pan with pouring spout: This is a must-have in your kitchen. If you have kids, you'll appreciate how easy the milk is warmed up and poured through this magic spout. If not, you'll definitely appreciate it when you make soups (little portions), sauces or gravies as this little magic spout will direct your liquids to the direction you want (and not where the physics of the pan want).
Cretan Olive Oil: Undoubtedly one of the most virgin Olive Oils in the world. Be it the Cretan climate, the skills of Cretans delivering exceptional extra virgin oil over the centuries, be it both, this is one olive oil you should be buying when ordering online. During my visits to Greece, I used to bring a 3L pack of Cretan oil over to the UK but I stopped as soon as I realised how good Amazon's price is (not to mention the space I saved in my luggage)! I use this oil for all my recipes, savoury or desserts.
Herbs and spices: I used Cretan oregano (the most aromatic out there) and Spanish smoked paprika, a very nice brand coming in a very nice retro-style tin.