squash blossom pesto potato skillet

Through the miracle of transferring credits - I've managed to find myself with 3 weeks off of school and not much to do. I've been doing my best to find a balance between getting things done and still relaxing.  This is the first week and I wrote myself up a mighty to do list, which I've been a bit neurotic about trying to cross everything off.  But the reward is next week I'm touring around New England and then heading down to visit all my old friends in North Carolina! I'm pretty excited, I'll be able to see all the people I've missed since living on the western coast much sooner than I thought (I thought I was going to have to wait until Christmas!)

But today commences my first day of the relaxation time.  I made myself a breakfast perfectly designed around all of my favorite foods: potatoes, pesto, greens, eggs, garlic - and then I tried out squash blossoms for the first time!  I think they're going to be a new favorite.  They really do just taste like summertime.

S q u a s h   B l o s s o m   P e s t o   P o t a t o   B r e a k f a s t    S k i l l e t

3 medium sized potatoes

3 eggs

2 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup of homemade or storebought pesto 

a handful of squash blossoms

1 cup of swiss chard, chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper

I.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice your (thoroughly cleaned) potatoes into thin slices.  Pour your olive oil into a skillet.  Crush the two cloves of garlic and throw them into the skillet along with your potatoes.  Toss them in the olive oil, along with some salt and pepper.

II.  Heat your potatoes about 10-15 minutes or until they are cooked and crisp on the edges.  During the last few minutes throw in the chard and allow it to sauté a couple of minutes.

III. Crack your eggs into a pourable container (I used measuring cups, ramekins are also ideal) and set aside.

IV.  Put the potatoes and chard in a casserole dish  (or if you used a cast iron pan, leave them in the pan!) and toss the pesto into your potatoes until it has evenly spread.
V.  Put into the oven for 5 minutes to allow the top to brown.  Place the eggs on top,  top with salt and pepper, and bake about 15 minutes, or until the eggs have just set.

Most people dip their squash blossoms in some sort of batter and fry them, but since this was just an addition to the skillet - I fried plain in some olive oil!  Still tasted incredibly delicious and gave the blossoms a roasted flavor.

 F r i e d   S q u a s h   B l o s s o m s  

I.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet and allow the oil to get hot.

II.  Carefully place the squash blossoms onto the pan.

III.  Step back and allow the blossoms to fry for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Then flip them and allow the other side to fry for 30 seconds to a minute.

III.  Use a slotted spoon and place the squash blossoms onto a plate lined with a paper towel.

While I was there I used the same method to fry up some basil leaves!  I highly recommend it.

Place the squash blossoms on top of the skillet dish and enjoy warm!

have a great weekend!    < 3