Now that the weather is cooler, it’s greens time again. I’m addicted to the minerally, slightly bitter flavor of greens, and buy big bunches every week at the market.

Depending on the time of year and how long they’re left in the ground, greens run the spectrum from tender to tougher – beginning with delicate watercress and spinach to medium-tender beet greens, escarole and Swiss chard, and to sturdier mustard, kale and collards.

I used to blanch sturdier greens before sauteing them, but lately I’ve skipped that step and cooked them entirely in the skillet. Serve the greens as a vegetable side dish with a dribble of vinegar or lemon juice, heaped on toasted focaccia or in a frittata.

TENDER GARLICKY GREENS SAUTE

Servings: 4 (about 2 cups)

1 pound tender greens

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

1 large garlic clove, minced

Water if necessary

Freshly ground black pepper

Starting with the stem ends, thinly slice greens. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add stem sections to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring or turning with tongs, 1 to 2 minutes, until wilted. Add remaining leaves and cook, turning, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, add garlic, and cook 1 minute. Test greens. If tender, remove from the heat. If not, add about 2 tablespoons water to prevent scorching and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often, until tender. Season with pepper and serve.

Tougher Garlicky Greens Braised: Using the same ingredients and proportions, prepare and saute the greens. After they are wilted, add about 1/3 cup water to the pan, cover and cook over low heat, stirring once or twice, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

GREENS AND NEW POTATO FRITTATA

The potatoes create a nice sort of bottom crust to hold the cheesy custard in this frittata, and you can serve it hot, room temp or cold – for breakfast, lunch, supper or an hors d’oeuvres.

Servings: about 3

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled waxy potatoes (about 9 ounces)

3/4 cup diced Canadian bacon or ham

1 cup cooked greens (see above recipe)

7 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup shredded medium-sharp cheddar or other similar cheese

Heat oil in a medium-large (about 10-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring once with a spatula. Add Canadian bacon, raise heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring now and then, until potatoes are softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Scatter cooked greens over the potatoes.

Preheat broiler.

In a bowl, whisk eggs with the salt and pepper. Stir in cheese. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and stir gently. Cover pan and cook frittata over low heat without stirring until eggs are almost set, usually about 5 minutes. Place skillet under broiler for about 1 minute until top is set and lightly speckled with brown.

Serve directly from skillet, cut into wedges.

Brooke Dojny is author or co-author of more than a dozen cookbooks, most recently “The New England Clam Shack Cookbook” (Storey 2008). She lives on the Blue Hill peninsula.