Tag Archives: potatoes

Sausage hash with fried egg

13 Oct

DSCI0342There are times when I have lots of bits and pieces of food left in the fridge that need to use up and I made this recipe for just such an occasion.  It is almost like a breakfast in one pan as it contains all the thinks I like for a good old English Breakfast but it is all cooked together. We had it for lunch one day but I am sure it would make a great brunch or breakfast dish.

Did you know there is actually an English Breakfast Society?  This is what they have to say about the history of the English Breakfast.

 

The full English breakfast is a centuries old British tradition which dates back to the early 1800’s, when the Victorians first perfected the art of eating breakfast and elevated the most important meal of the day into an art form.

When the Victorians combined tradition with the most important meal of the day, they created a national dish, one that is widely loved to this day and regularly enjoyed by millions of English breakfast lovers all over the planet.

The breakfast table was an opportunity to display the wealth of the estate and the quality of the meats, vegetables and ingredients produced on the surrounding land and a chance to show off the skills of the cooks who prepared a vast selection of typical English breakfast dishes every morning, for the residents and guests of the house.

The gentry used to love their breakfast feasts and in the old Anglo-Saxon tradition of hospitality, used to provide hearty full breakfasts for their visiting friends, relatives and neighbors. The gentry used to enjoy a full breakfast before they went out to hunt, before a long journey, the morning after their parties and when reading the mail and periodicals of the day.

Breakfast served in these country houses was made up of ingredients sourced from farmers based on the estate, the meats were cured and cooked using regional recipes and methods. Their breakfasts were made up of traditional English dishes, cooked in a typical English way and it was here that the idea of the traditional English breakfast began.

This recipe may not fit in with their ideals but it is definitely delicious.

Sausage hash with fried egg               Serves 2

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 8 new potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 good quality sausages of your choice
  • 3 rashes of unsmoked streaky bacon
  • 1/2 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 1/2 red pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • small handful of parsley, chopped
  • salt and black pepper
  1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and gently fry the potato for 10 minutes until it is starting to soften and go golden.
  2. Skin the sausages and break up the meat into small nuggets. Add to the potato.
  3. Using scissors, snip the bacon into thin slices and add to the pan along with the onion, chilli and pepper.
  4. Stir to combine them all and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender and the sausage cooked through.
  5. Add the parsley and season to taste. Mix carefully.
  6. In a separate pan fry two eggs.
  7. Serve the hash immediately, divided between two plates with an egg on top of each.

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Red pepper and potato tortilla – a great lunch!

10 Jul

I think the first time I had a tortilla was in Majorca.  They brought little squares of tortilla to go with our drinks at lunchtime.  I must say I had never thought of eating what is basically a fat omelette, cold, but it was delicious.  I love this recipe because it is so quick and easy, using bottled peppers and either left over new potatoes or even good quality tinned new potatoes.  It makes a great lunch to have with salad and any leftovers can be eaten cold if you get peckish.  Not that we ever have leftovers, it is too good to leave any!  Tortillas are similar to their Italian counterpart, frittatas.  Both are much thicker than an omelette as we know it in the UK , possibly due to the beating of the eggs which contribute to a much thicker, lighter batter.  It is thought that tortillas date back to the mid 1800’s when poor people would have their own hens and grow their own vegetables.  They provided a cheap but nutritious meal for the family.  Today good quality eggs are no longer cheap but, in comparison to the cost of meat, they are still a great option.

There have been numerous health issues related to eggs.  Some say that eating too many eggs will raise cholesterol levels and cause an early death from heart disease.  Others researchers have said this is a load of rubbish and you can eat as many as you like.  I remember Edwina Curry once warned us off eating eggs due to the risk of Salmonella but, many years later we are still eating them and I haven’t heard of a dramatic rise in deaths attributed to this.  All in all I suppose if you eat them in moderation you should not come to any harm.  Knowing how to understand egg labelling may help to reduce the risk.  Here is a brief summary.

Under European legislation eggs must be stamped with their best before date and this should not be more than 21 days after laying.  It is sometimes difficult to see what the stamp on the eggs say but it is usually clearly marked on the egg box.  I always buy them with as near to 21 days left as possible.  If you are unsure, a fresh egg will lie flat in a bowl of water and, as they get older, they will start to turn more upright.  Apart from the date stamp on the egg there is also a code which will give you information about the farming methods for where the egg was laid.  Look at the first letter of the egg stamp for this. 

  • 0 indicates the egg is organic
  • 1 means it is free-range
  • 2 is that it is a barn egg
  • 3 is that the hens are caged

Well, here is the recipe.

Red pepper and potato tortilla                                    Serves 4

  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 250g/8 oz cooked new potatoes, sliced (you can use leftover potatoes or even tinned if you are short of time)
  • 2 red peppers from a jar, drained and cut into strips
  • a handful of chopped parsley
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • salt and black pepper
  • Olive oil
  1. Preheat an oven to 220C/200c fan/gas 7.
  2. Add the peppers and the parsley to the eggs and season and mix well.  Set aside.
  3. Heat a little oil in a non-stick ovenproof deep omelette pan or frying pan.  Gently fry the onion until it is soft but not coloured.  Add the potatoes, mix well, gently squashing down a little.  Cook for 4 minutes, turning occasionally, or until the potatoes are starting to turn golden and are slightly crisp around the edges.  Tip the potato mix into the eggs and stir well.
  4. Add a little more oil to the pan then tip in the egg mixture.  Move it around the pan a little so all the ingredients are evenly distributed.  Cook on the hob for 3-4 minutes then transfer to the oven and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes.
  5. Turn out onto a plate and slice.

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