One-Pan Farmer’s Breakfast

Recipe courtesy of Kindred by Eva and Maria Konecsny, Macmillan Publishers, RRP $49.99

This dish was traditionally served to farmers in the mornings to give them energy and fill them up for the hard day’s labour ahead. These days, it is a staple in German households and is not only served for breakfast, but also for lunches or at dinner with a beer in hand. It is often made with leftover potatoes and other vegetables from last night’s dinner.

 SERVES 4 | Gluten free

Ingredients

• 1 kg waxy potatoes (such as kipfler, desiree or nicola), skin on and washed
• 200 g bacon rashers, rind removed, cut into 5 mm x 1 cm pieces
• 40 g salted butter
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, quartered and sliced
• 4 eggs
• 2 1/2 tbsp full-cream milk
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika*
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg*
• ½ tsp fine Himalayan pink salt*
• ¹⁄8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper*

To serve

• chopped parsley and chives

sour gherkin, cut into a fan (optional)

SPICE SHORTCUTS*

• 1½ tsp Gewürzhaus Bratkartoffel Spice

Method

Add the potatoes to a large saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil and cook until you can insert a skewer into the potatoes with little resistance, about 15–20 minutes. Drain and cool until lukewarm. Peel and set aside to cool completely.

In a large frying pan over high heat, fry the bacon until crispy, about 5 minutes. Depending on how fatty the bacon is, you may need a little olive oil to help grease the pan. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.

Add half the butter and half the oil to the pan and cook the onion over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the onion from the pan and set aside.

Cut the potatoes in half, then cut into 1 cm thick slices.

Add the remaining butter and oil to the pan and, when melted, add the potato. Cook over high heat until it becomes crispy, carefully turning a couple of times. You may need a little more oil if the potato sticks.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, milk, spices, salt and pepper together.

Reduce the heat to medium–low, return the bacon and onion to the pan and gently mix them through the potato.

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the potato, pressing the potato into the egg mixture. Cook over low heat until just set, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and chives and place the gherkin, if using, in the centre of the pan. Serve at the table while hot.

COOK’S NOTES: If you have an ovenproof pan, you can also set the egg in the oven at 180°C for 10 –15 minutes, rather than on the stovetop, to minimise the risk of the underside burning.