Our good friends just returned home after being gone for almost a month (first grandchild). We couldn’t wait for a night on the town – we wanted to see the baby pictures! So we invited them over for Sunday brunch. On the menu: Salmon Frittata served on a bed of dressed arugula, Brunch Potatoes, and Cheddar Biscuits.
Brunch is a great way to entertain on a budget. Eggs, potatoes, bread – all cheap stuff. As long as you accent them with the right ingredients, it can be quite an elegant affair. Salmon always makes things feel expensive. Granted, I would much rather use fresh or smoked salmon with eggs, but I’ve found that when it’s not a stand-alone ingredient, canned salmon can be surprisingly good – and a lot less expensive. To go along with the salmon, I want a mild cheese. You can’t be much more mild (or inexpensive) than cottage cheese. (If you don’t like the idea, then you can substitute ricotta, cream cheese, or mascarpone cheese.) Additionally, a mild onion flavor will keep from overpowering the eggs and salmon. I used scallions, but you could also use some shallots – just sauté them in the butter for a few minutes before adding the egg mixture. Additionally, I always like to add a little hot sauce any time I make eggs. Not for the heat. I find that the vinegar and the peppers add some background flavor that accentuates the eggs. (I really don’t like heat first thing in the morning. I know a lot of people do – so sue me.)
Additionally, potatoes are such a blank canvas that you can add just about any flavor you want. It’s also a fantastic way to round out a simple menu. And being a rural Midwestern boy, I can make biscuits about 654 different ways (give or take). Again, not wanting to overshadow the salmon, a simple cheddar flavor worked well for this menu.
The brunch was a big success. The baby pictures are just precious, and the new grandparents are grinning from ear to ear. All in all, it was a good day.
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