Sweet potato & rocket frittata bites with feta and mint pesto

(photograph courtesy of Cook Sister!)

Trawling through folders on my computer that have been lying dormant for a long time, I came across this picture taken at an event I catered for last year. It had the most ecclectic mix of people and some pretty amazing ABBA costumes... not to speak of the delectable canapes, of course ;-)

These frittata bites are incredible for cocktail parties because they're easily made, need next to no work with regards to assembly and they can be made well in advance. I also love this dish in its non-party version, which I often make to get more protein into my diet. Eggs are incredibly good for you of course, dispelling the myth that they raise your cholesterol, studies have shown that it doesn't, in fact, if anything, it raises your good cholesterol and lowers the bad. Not to speak of the minerals, essential fatty acids and vitamins the humble egg contains, especially B-Vitamins, a great source of energy!

This version with red onion and sweet potato is such a healthy treat it's almost unreal - make this on the weekend to serve as a weekday lunch, a quick dinner when you're home late from work and have had no time to shop or enjoy at breakfast - you can even enjoy it in a breadroll if you must! It keeps for a good few days in the fridge and if you pep it up with some feta and mint oil, maybe a salad on the side, you've got yourself a lunchtime treat the whole office will envy you for!

QUICK REMINDER:
The Bistro Food edition of WTSIM is in its last week, please send your contributions to  by the end of the month!

Mini-frittata bites of sweet potato, red onion and rocket, served with crumbled feta and mint oil
(yields ca. 60 pieces)

2 medium red onions
450 g sweet potatoes
1-2 tbsp ghee (or butter)
55 g rocket salad
70 g parmesan (freshly grated)
12 large eggs

To decorate:
100 g feta cheese (crumbled)
50 ml mild olive oil
ca. 40 g mint leaves (depending on strength of flavour)
salt & pepper to taste

Pre-heat your oven to 200 C.
Peel the sweet potato and onion and cut into ca. 1 cm dice. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the sweet potato and fry for about 8 minutesm until starting to soften. Add the onion and fry for a further 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with a fork, add the parmesan and chopped rocket salad. Stir in the sweet potatoes and onion, then pour into a buttered, oven-proof dish. I use a rectangular casserole for this, but any square cake tin should be fine. Make sure that the frittata isn’t to high, as it will rise, aim for about 3 cm in height.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until set. Leave to cool to body temperature or colder before cutting the frittata into bite-sized pieces.

For the deco, blitz the olive oil and mint to make mint oil. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble the feta.

To assemble, place frittata bites onto a serving plate, top with some crumbled feta and just a tiny squeeze of mint oil. You want a touch of colour and flavour, but no oil dripping down onto the plate. (If it drips onto the plate, it is more than likely to also soil your guests' clothes and you don’t want a huge dry-cleaning bill, right?)

Comments

[Sally-Ann]

wohoo! what a fabulous creation... I love the colour and what's that beautiful flower in the front? i crave sweet potatoes badly!

[johanna]

hi sally-anne, it's a thistle, I got it from my local florist and stuck it on with some candle wax... I just love the colour!

[Bellini Valli]

Loving the combinations here.

[Katie]

Yum! These look wonderful -I'd eat the whole lot. Love the flavours and so pretty

[kellypea]

What an excellent idea for a party! I'm a huge fritatta fan and your combo of flavors really makes this special. Healthy, too.

[Kit]

This looks wonderful - and a great idea to bake it rather than do it in a pan and have to turn it, much easier to manage. Good news that eggs are now on the good cholesterol list too!

[Sylvie]

I love fritatats, they make a great quick dinner and the leftovers are perfect for lunch the next day. I like the idea of cutting it up small and having it as appertisers.

[Gourmet Chick]

Great flavour combination these look fabulous. I make a similar frittata with Fetta and Pumpkin which I think I have posted on for a previous WTSIM challenge! For parties I also sometimes make frittatas in mini muffin tins which works quite well as saves the slicing.

[Hardspear]

Mmmm, looks delicious! Cannot wait to see all the wtsim entries.

[Marta]

You are right, this IS so healthy! I'm loving this as a finger food idea. It seems fuss-free and flavour-full! My kind of food! the mint pesto sounds surreal!

[Yum]

A delicious finger food, it gives colors to a party!

[Rosanna]

I made this for a cocktails and canapes party with my friends and they were wonderful: http://english-rosie.blogspot.com/2011/01/squashed-bananas-and-stew.html