NEW RECIPE: Merguez and Egg White Frittata

© Constantine William Spyrou
In college, one of the easiest and cheapest things to cook is eggs. There are a ton of things that can be done with eggs - scrambled, poached, fried, turned into quiches, etc. However, I discovered through my time in college that my favorite recipe to do with eggs has to be the frittata.

Frittata is traditionally a baked egg casserole with almost anything ingredient that you want to put in it available. The way I make it is in a frying pan rather than a baking dish, and for me is quicker because I get to start the cooking process on the stove and just quickly broil in the oven. 

This frittata version is one made during a cooking session on campus with a few people, and is one of my favorite ways to get protein after a workout session. This frittata just uses egg whites to get the optimal protein you need. For this version, I also chose to incorporate one of my favorite sausages - merguez. This spicy North African lamb sausage has amazing flavor and goes well with tons of aromatic flavors, which this frittata showcases extremely well! 

Recipe serves up to 3 people.

For the Merguez:

1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup red bell pepper, pureed
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon ras el hanout (see my recent recipe for how to make your own if you want!)
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and pepper to season

For the Frittata:

2 cups/5 egg whites
1/2 pound merguez
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup diced leeks
1/4 cup diced bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons goat cheese (refrigerate first until firm)
Parmesean Cheese for grating
Salt and pepper to season
Olive oil for the pan

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the merguez together. For optimal flavor, let it marinate for up to 24 hours in the fridge.

2. Add the merguez to a hot pan with olive oil on medium heat. Add in the garlic, and cook the merguez through, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add in the leeks and cook for about a minute before adding in the mushrooms. Cook for another minute before adding in the bell peppers. This ensures proper cooking of each of the vegetables. Lightly season the vegetables in between adding each.

4. Add the goat cheese in in small clumps around the pan, then pour in your egg whites. Stir to ensure that the egg whites get to the bottom of the pan.

5. Once the egg whites start to bubble, grate Parmesean cheese over the top of the frittata. Transfer to an oven on high broil for 7-8 minutes.

6. Remove from the pan, and serve!

This frittata really serves as a great canvas to the spicy contrast of the merguez, the aromatic notes of the vegetables and flavors within the merguez, and the tangy creaminess of the goat cheese. It makes an exciting and fun take that is easy enough to make in college! If you can't lamb, beef works just as great for this as well.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)