Embarrassingly enough I can’t make an omelet. So I just don’t. I’m happy to whip up elaborate scrambles or even a quiche, but if I have to flip eggs in a pan it’s just not going to end very prettily. I know my limitations. Fortunately, my luxurious Hamptons-residing role model, Ina Garten, has introduced me to an “Erin proof” method for making a delicious and impressive looking omelet without any flipping (or flipping out) involved.

The trick is to simply make the dish in an oven proof saute pan. No special spatula, layers of butter, oil, or fancy wrist tilting required. All you have to do is cook your ingredients, pour on the egg and cheese mixture and bake until done. I used bacon, red pepper, jalapenos, onion, and sharp cheddar this time, but I’m really looking forward to mixing it up with zucchini, mushrooms, ham, and feta in the future. The best part of the no-flip omelet is the addition of potatoes, so in the end you get all of your favorite breakfast sides: bacon, home fries, and eggs in one robust and cheesy bite!  Future house guests to la casa de Erin & CK please take note as this will undoubtedly be your new morning meal.

Omelet for Two
Slightly altered from Ina Garten’s recipe originally published on the Food Network website

1/4 pound good thick-cut bacon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup medium-diced baby red potatoes
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
5 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, diced, plus extra grated cheese, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Cut the bacon crosswise in 1-inch slices. Cook the bacon in an 8-inch ovenproof saute pan over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Drain the bacon on paper towels and discard the fat from the pan. Add the butter to the pan, and then add the potato, red pepper, and yellow onion. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the onion starts to brown and the potato is tender but firm. Add the jalapeno pepper and cook for 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together with a fork. Stir in the scallions and diced Cheddar. When the potato is cooked, add the bacon to the pan and pour over the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the omelet puffs and the eggs are almost cooked in the center. Sprinkle with a handful of grated Cheddar and bake for another minute. Serve hot directly from the pan.

My grandmother has chickens and they live a fabulous Disney-esq life full of table scraps, grain, and white bread complete with a fancy chicken coop and a big grassy area to run around in. In general these chickens probably have a quality of life similar to your pet cat.

If you spend the night at my grandmother’s house you are woken up by the crowing of a large rooster. Sometimes the brave little chickens get out of their pen and run around the neighborhood. Now that’s what I call “free range.” Gram keeps in her neighbors good graces by making them incredible batches of peanut butter fudge and by also bestowing upon them dozens of amazing eggs that her pampered chickens lay.

When I go home to Maine I always request eggs to take back with me. They are fabulous beyond belief. Case in point: they are almost twice the size of normal extra-large organic eggs that you buy in the grocery store. The yolks are a bright orange color as opposed to the much paler yellow that you see above. In fact the yolks are so orange that everyone in my family has learned not to use them in white foods as we’ve all ended up with bright orange lasagna and funky colored cakes due to Gram’s delicious (but neon) eggs. In general I treat these eggs like culinary diamonds. They are reserved for weekend omelets and fluffy scrambles on lazy Sunday mornings. We’ll seriously get into a fight if you try to use one of these to make anything as mundane as a boxed corn muffin mix. I’m not kidding!