One of the best kinds of weekend feasts.
The summer recess is decidedly over. Whatever about our end-of-season weather, one of the joys of shorter, cooler days is a return to what my family refer to as serious breakfast. By necessity this is a weekend gig. Some might call it brunch, yet demands for lunch, however late, render the nomenclature redundant. I still end up cooking two meals even if the latter tends to be soup and salad, or a sandwich.
The telling ingredient in all this is eggs. Whether fried, poached, scrambled or boiled the golden yellow yolk symbolises breakfast. I've dipped asparagus into soft boiled eggs before 11am; slices of black pudding fried to a tantalising crispness and partnered with a poached egg in a roll seems more fitting the morning after the pub, all because of the egg. Sautéed kidneys on toast might be a rather robust Joycean dish, but topped with a poached egg and partnered with coffee they take on a morning glory.
Fish in the morning might seem like a tall order, yet the sea offers an easy start to the day. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs is so delicate it seems hard to better. Yet smoked haddock snaps hard at its heals when partnered with the same or topped with a poached egg. Plaice has a sweetness all of its own, with scrambled eggs it becomes almost grand. Kedgeree may be very English and much as I enjoy its creamy simplicity it is really the combination of rice and eggs that gets me going. A basic pilaf, spiked with aromatics like cardamom and cinnamon, cloves and star anise does a similar if more exotic job. Add to this the likes of mushrooms and you are en route to a feast.
SMOKED HADDOCK AND CRISPY BACON HASH WITH POACHED EGGS
serves four
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and diced
olive oil
4 waxy potatoes, peeled and diced
350g smoked haddock
2 tbsps finely chopped dill
8 slices streaky bacon
4 eggs
Saute the potatoes in three tablespoons of olive oil until tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve. Soften the onion over a gentle heat in two tablespoons of oil for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further two minutes. Add the potatoes and set aside.
Gently poach the haddock, just covered with water, for five minutes or until cooked. Flake and add to the potato mixture. Reheat over a low flame, stirring in the dill and seasoning with salt and pepper.
Grill the bacon until crispy and set aside. Poach the eggs and serve on top of the hash with a couple of slices of bacon per person.