"The Rockaway" Frittata Sandwich

Over the past few years I’ve been collecting food memories from my parents with the hopes of preserving them before they disappeared. One particular story from when my mom was a girl growing up in Brooklyn recently stood out to me as something I needed to explore further. Video is below.

“The trip out to Rockaway Beach was always by train. We took the L to Myrtle Ave where we transferred to a train to Jamaica Station. There we transferred again and took another train over the causeway. The long rides were always fun, hopping around with our friends. I tagged along with my older sister Josephine who was ten years my senior. We would pack the leftover frittatas from the night before and would be the envy of all the friends with their plain old bologna sandwiches.”

Today a bacon, egg, and cheese on a round roll is one of the more ubiquitous breakfast sandwiches in the Northeast. Through the memory my mom shared, and the reimagined sandwich that followed I somehow arrived back at that classic combination - and dare I say made it even better. This version was a pepper, potato, scallion, bacon and cheese frittata served on a pillow of thick focaccia with flaky sea salt and will definitely be repeated.

The Fritatta:

All of the ingredients should be precooked before the introduction of the eggs. This will ensure everything is tender and perfectly cooked when you remove it from the oven.

If using potatoes, break them down into small pieces and boil for a few minutes. Drain them and let them air out for a few minutes while you work on something else. Once they’ve lost a lot of their moisture, I saute them in olive oil until crispy and set aside.

Mix together all of the cooked ingredients in your skillet and bring up to medium heat. Sprinkle in shredded cheese over the entire mixture. Pour in your mixed eggs so it covers the entire surface. You’ll need to use your best judgement depending on the size of your pan and the amount of ingredients you’re using. Sprinkle more cheese on the top of the entire surface. Bake in the oven at 375F for 20 minutes, or until fully cooked through in the center. You can finish it off by crisping it up under the broiler for another minute or so.

The focaccia recipe was an adaptation of the sesame sourdough rolls I have been making recently, with increased hydration. Recipe can be found here. You can really dress the sandwich up with anything but I like the combination of spicy aioli and baby arugula. Crumbled sausage also works really well as an alternative to the bacon.