Time to Tailgate: Mini Bacon and Potato Frittatas

I’ve never really caught on to the whole tailgating bandwagon. First, I like to sleep in. Waking up early on a Saturday morning for a sporting event is a concept that makes no sense to me. Second, beer doesn’t taste good to me anytime of day, let alone before noon. Third, tailgating makes a day with a long football game incredibly longer and with the weekends seeming to go by quicker each year, my time on a Saturday to run errands and do chores is precious. So while my husband makes a day of it each football Saturday, I’ll join in just once in a while.

One of those days happened to be last Saturday. We went out to cheer on our favorite football team to our third victory this season!!! It was a beautiful September day, and we had plans to visit one of my husband’s friend and colleague’s tailgates. “J”’s tailgates are actually a great stop before the game. His tailgate spot is about a block from the stadium, and J makes delicious egg and English muffin sandwiches on his grill. They are delicious.

As it was an earlier game that day, I decided to bring breakfast fare. I also wanted it to be finger food to cut out the need for utensils. I came across a recipe from Cooking Light. I hadn’t tried it before, but learned that my sister had previously made it. These mini frittatas are baked in a mini-muffin pan, so they are perfectly bite-sized. I used the Zingerman’s Arkansas Peppered Bacon that my husband loves, so my attempt at this recipe turned out really peppery. The sour cream really cooled it down, though. I baked the bacon (my preferred method of cooking bacon) at 400°F for about 10 minutes, until crispy. I sautéed the potato in a little olive oil (instead of bacon drippings). If I were making these for myself, I would omit the bacon and substitute some finely diced bell peppers. (I think a number of other veggies would work well too, such as mushrooms, chopped spinach, zucchini, etc.) I think these are a good breakfast or brunch item to take somewhere if you’re serving a crowd.

Mini Bacon and Potato Frittatas
Ingredients
* 2 cups finely chopped peeled baking potato (about 12 ounces)
* 5 bacon slices (uncooked)
* 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives, divided
* 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 7 large egg whites, lightly beaten
* 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
* Cooking spray
* 6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

Place potato in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 4 minutes or until almost tender. Drain.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add potato, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and thyme to drippings in pan; cook 8 minutes or until potato is lightly brown over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; cool.

Combine the potato mixture, bacon, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons chives, cheese, pepper, egg whites, and eggs, stirring well with a whisk. Coat 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 tablespoon egg mixture into each muffin cup. Bake at 375° for 16 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove frittatas from muffin cups. Top each with 1/2 teaspoon sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon chives.