Submitted by Adam, Low Row.
This is based on a lovely dish that we were served in a little restaurant in Kitzbühel, in the Tyrolean Alps, many years ago. My mother reimagined it and named it ‘Kitzbühel Special’, and it has been passed down through the family. It is typical Alpine food – simple, rich, warming and perfect for a winter’s evening. All of the ingredients are available from local producers.
Ingredients (serves 2):
(I tend to make it up as I go along, so feel free to vary the amounts as needed).
- 1 onion
- 4 or 5 medium baking potatoes
- 1 eating apple
- A couple of rashers of bacon, or a handful of lardons
- A large knob of butter
- Handful of frozen peas or broad beans
- 2 eggs
- Some fresh herbs – e.g. chopped parsley (or dried mixed herbs)
- A handful of grated cheese (cheddar, or ideally a hard Alpine cheese)
- Salt and pepper
Method
Chop the potatoes into 2cm-ish cubes and either boil them for 10-15 minutes, or stick them in the microwave for a similar length of time. Keep checking them – the aim is to get them soft enough that they’re edible, but not so soft that they fall apart.
Meanwhile roughly chop the onion & bacon, and finely chop the apple into small chunks. Fry the onion for a couple of minutes first first in a large frying pan with some cooking oil, and then add the bacon and apple. Cook until they are browning off nicely.
Heat up some oil in a second frying pan and start frying off the 2 eggs. Try to keep the yolks runny!
When the potatoes are ready, add a large knob of butter to the onion & bacon frying pan and throw the potatoes in. Add the handful of frozen peas/beans. Add in a good dose of fresh herbs and season to taste, using plenty of salt and black pepper. Continue cooking on a medium heat until the potatoes are starting to brown round the edges. Keep moving them by tossing them gently, but avoid too much stirring or you’ll break them up.
Serve the potato mixture on a plate, sprinkle on some grated cheese and place the fried egg on top, garnished with some more fresh herbs.
It’s pretty filling, but a hunk of brown bread is perfect for mopping up the plate afterwards, and a European lager is ideal for rinsing it all down.