Friday, March 18, 2011

Cheesy Potato Frittata with Vegetables


This is my veganized version of a combination of two popular dishes from Czech Republic. Both of the original dishes use precooked potatoes and cheese. One of them is made with layers of potatoes, diced sausages, diced hard-boiled eggs and cheese. The other one is made with potatoes and vegetables that are coved in a mixture of raw eggs, milk and cheese and baked until firm. The second version can be made with precooked pasta instead of potatoes. These dishes were a big part of my childhood, both at home and at a school cafeteria. There is something comforting about them. They are also cheap and easy to make, plus they can be made with leftovers from previous lunch or dinner. I missed them so much that I decided to create a vegan version for myself. I like to eat this Cheesy Potato Frittata with pickles, which makes the dish even more nostalgic. I tried making it with several different vegan cheeses, but Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds worked the best in this dish. This vegan cheese is tasty and it melts and stretches nicely which mimics well the traditional cheese used in the non-vegan version of this dish.

Cheesy Potato Frittata with Vegetables

3 large potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold)
2 Tbs oil
1 small to medium onion, diced
1 14-oz package firm tofu, drained
1 12-oz bag frozen vegetables (I used carrot, brocolli and cauliflower mix)-you can use fresh veggies instead
1 cup frozen peas
4 Tbs shredded vegan cheese (I used Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds), plus extra for topping
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs Nutritional Yeast (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Salt to taste


Place potatoes in a medium pot (don't peel them yet) and cover completely with water. Bring water with the potatoes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook 40-45 minutes. Make sure that the potatoes are covered with water the whole time. Drain and let cool completely. You can cook the potatoes a day ahead and cool in the fridge until the next day.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat a 9-inch or 10-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
Peel potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch rounds. Set aside.
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onion for about 5 minutes. Add frozen vegetables (except for the peas) and cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add the peas and cook 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat.
In food processor or blender, puree tofu, vegan cheese, soy sauce, nutritional yeast and black pepper until smooth.
Add tofu mixture into the vegetable mixture and blend well. Add more pepper or salt to taste.
Arrange potato slices in single layer in casserole dish. Spoon half of the tofu and vegetable mixture on top of potatoes. Place a single layer of potatoes on top. Spoon the rest of the tofu and vegatable mixture on top. Arrange another layer of potatoes on top. Bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle extra vegan cheese on top (enough to cover all the potatoes) and bake for 10 more minutes. Let stand few minutes before serving.
Serve with pickles on the side :-)



2 comments:

  1. Cheese and potatoes are a match made in heaven. Definitely a comfort food. And of course, I love the pickles on the side. Those tiny gherkins are the best.

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  2. @foodfeud I cannot imagine life without pickles and potatoes! I love the Czech, Polish and German pickles-gherkins, the American pickles aren't that good.

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