Huevos Rotos

BROKEN EGGS

When it comes to great Spanish food with big, bold flavours, simplicity is always key – that is alongside using the best quality ingredients. So here’s one of my favourite and simplest dishes to prepare, using the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can get your hands on and free-range eggs with the richest of yolks.

Huevos rotos, or "broken eggs”, a staple in my home town of Madrid and a popular dish across the whole of Spain. The perfect combination of fried potatoes, chorizo sausage or jamón, and perfectly fried eggs… oh, and did I mention the generous serving of extra virgin olive oil that we love so much in Spain!

They also make a great vegetarian dish too by swapping in green peppers, spring onions or bang on season asparagus.

Serves 4  

Ingredients  

800g potatoes

50ml extra virgin olive oil

1 head of garlic

2 sprigs of rosemary

Salt and pepper

Slices of jamon (or chorizo)

4 green asparagus (or 2 green peppers)

1 spring onion

Method  

First, peel and slice the potatoes into chunky chip sized pieces. Then wash twice to release the starches and prevent them from sticking.

Place the potatoes on a baking tray, add a generous amount of olive oil, rosemary sprigs and a few cloves of garlic – unpeeled but slightly crushed to release the flavours; then mix all the ingredients to ensure they are evenly coated in the oil.

Roast in the oven for around 25 to 30 minutes at about 200°c, mixing midway.

Veggie option:

Slice the asparagus and spring onions into chunky pieces and place on a second baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for around 15 minutes.

To a frying pan, add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil – the key here is ‘generous amount’!

When the oil is slightly smoking, add the eggs and fry rapidly so the whites are crispy and the yolk still runny.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and transfer to a plate, with or without the roasted garlic depending on your preference.

For the veggie option, add the asparagus and spring onion. For a traditional version, add jamon or chorizo.

Sprinkle with the remaining spring onions and season before breaking the eggs and rough cutting the potatoes.

Bring to the table and devour!

Spanish comfort food classic!