It's a busy weeknight and you want something satisfying, complex, and relatively easy to put together. However, you also wouldn't mind having some leftovers for the next day. That's where today's dinner omelet comes in, and I don't mean a typical 'three egg' diner-style omelet. I mean a 'full meal' style omelet that fills the entirety of a full-size cast iron pan.
Why I Love Dinner Omelets, and Why You Should Too
1) Sandwiches. I probably shouldn't be starting with this point, but I am. Dinner omelets are at their best the next day, warm or cold, on rye toast with some butter, extra cheese, and maybe a dash or two of hot sauce as a sandwich. Oh. My. God. That's my favorite lunch in the world right now.
2) Leftovers. This cuts to the above point, but dinner omelets heat up shockingly well, either in a pan on the stove or in the oven on low heat.
3) Make Ahead. Once again, since these serve so well the next day or two or three, they are great 'make ahead' dinners, lunches, or breakfasts.
4) One Pan Meal. With a side of toast, or not, these really do make a great one-pan-one-meal dinner or lunch option.
Ingredient Notes and Tips
1) Red Onion? White Onion? Yellow onion? Any Onion! Honestly, I'm using red onions because it's what I happen to have on hand. Yellow onions can be substituted on a one-to-one basis for red onion, and the same applies to white onions. You could even be creative and mix the onions. The truth is, red, white, and sweet onions are 'almost' always interchangeable, and that's certainly true in this recipe.
2) The Cheese. You want cheese that melts down nicely. Basic American, Swiss, Jarlsberg, or Mozzarella all work fine. Jarlsberg is slightly more 'flavor neutral' than the others, and melts a bit more 'firmly.' It does, however, have a pleasant, if faint, 'nutty' flavor.
3) The Potatoes. First, peeling is optional, but I prefer my potatoes peeled when they're in an omelet, but this is purely a matter a preference. The skin 'will' add a slight bit of 'texture' to the omelet, and a slight bit of 'earthiness.' Now, what kind of potato do you want for this recipe? Any type of potato that holds its form well through cooking/roasting/boiling is what you want. These types of include small reds, New Potatoes are the go-to, due to how well they hold their shape through all forms of cooking. Waxy Potatoes, often confused for 'Yukon Golds,' are also ideal here - as would be Yukon Golds. White Potatoes would also work, but are less than ideal. Russets would simply fall apart or turn to mush.
More Eggy Goodness
1) Deviled Eggs. A classic egg recipe from previous generations that never 'quite' went away. Homey and easy to make, and just a hint spicy, but mostly 'dilly' and 'relish-y.' Trays of these almost always find their way on the tables of my family gatherings, either prepared by my daughter or my sister-in-law…or both.
2) Soft Boiled. My favorite way to have eggs growing up, I still remember cracking into these on busy school mornings, and gingerly dipping the ends of my toast into the dense golden liquid that dwelt just beneath the shell and lightly cooked layer of white.
3) Sunnyside With Fried Green Tomatoes. I'm not sure why, but I absolutely adore fried green tomatoes, and I love them the most with 'breakfast.' If you're feeling creative, this is a satisfying 'something different' for a morning when you've got the time to indulge in breakfast.
Potato Skillet Omelet
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 12 eggs - beaten with a small splash of water
- 6 medium to large red potatoes
- 1 sweet or red onion - sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic - chopped
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 - 3 tbs. olive oil
- 4 - 5 cheese slices - American, Swiss, Jarlsberg, Mozzarella
Instructions
- Peel and boil the potatoes until fork tender. Rinse with cold water and quarter.
- Heat a large cast iron frying pan and place the sliced onion and chopped garlic in the pan.
- Toss until the onion is slightly golden and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the potatoes to the pan and season with all of the spices and sugar.
- Add the olive oil to the potatoes.
- Cook until the potatoes become a beautiful golden crisp to them.
- Gently whisk the eggs in a large bowl with a small splash of water; one to two tbs. of water.
- Pour the eggs over the potatoes while on a gentle heat.
- Top the eggs with the cheese and an extra twist of fresh ground black pepper and a dash of sea salt.
- Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the omelet into the oven and cook until the eggs are set and the cheese has a nice golden color and should puff up a bit. This should not take longer than 12 – 15 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
Enjoy with love!
Claudia Lamascolo says
my dad made this often as a child, boy did this bring back beautiful memories of him cooking. Thanks for sharing, I must make this soon!
Tanvi Rastogi says
I have only recently started cooking in a skillet and I am obsessed. I don't eat eggs (except in desserts) but I am curious to try this recipe. May be I can try and mask the smell and taste of eggs some how 😀
❥ tanvii.com
Laura Schwormstedt says
Ooh this looks delicious and easy to whip up on a weekend - I know my kids would love it as well
Laura x
Jay Aguirre says
This looks so delicious! I'll definitely have to try and make this myself someday. Looks nice and filling!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you. Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try. Have a good weekend Jay.
Marysa says
This sounds so good! I am not a big fan of omelets, but the potato would be a delicious addition. I will have to try this some time, as we are in a rut with breakfast foods.
Catherine Pappas says
I think we all are in a bit of a rut lately trying to spice up our lives during this time. I hope you enjoy this if you give it a try. The potatoes give the omelet a bit of substance and makes it a bit more filling if you are having it as dinner. Enjoy the weekend.
Astrid says
I love experimenting for breakfast. Will add this to my list of breakfast ideas.
Catherine Pappas says
Breakfast if my favorite though lately every meal is! I love breakfast for dinner as well. I hope you enjoy this if you give it a try.
chad says
omg this looks so so good!!! I can't wait to make this over the weekend, so good!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Chad. I hope you are having a good weekend and enjoy the omelet if you give it a try.
DAVID J MYERS says
Catherine, Interesting and something that we haven't tried making either. Always looking for variety in this self-isolation environment! Looks very appealing too... Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Catherine Pappas says
I love a good omelet Dave and it is so easy and tastes great leftover.
I hope that you and Laurie are having a good weekend. Take care and stay safe.
angiesrecipes says
Such a delicious and filling dinner!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you dear Angie, I hope you are having a good weekend. xo