Sunday Breakfast Fry-up

One of the strangest habits of the Brits is the Fry-up. A fry-up is consumed for breakfast, is supposed to be a great hangover cure, and is a big greasy mess. Here is a rather sedate version. I've seen ones with fried kidneys, blood sausage, and more too.

I sort of wonder how the British got into the habit of consuming this lethal mixture of fat, protein, and more for breakfast while throughout the rest of Europe people settled happily for bread and coffee.

Once in a while though, like for a late Sunday breakfast that's really lunch, a fry-up is not so bad. I can't take the idea of cooking sausages and bacon though (eating it on holiday is another matter), so I prefer another form of crunchy stimulation. That comes from the crispy spicy potatoes. Again this is a free adaptation of a Nigella Lawson recipe (I do love that woman), using spices that are always on hand in our kitchen. Bacon can be added. I draw the line at sausages unless they are of the right kind - relatively small and very crispy, with most of the fat rendered out. Since it is impossible to get sausages of that kind here in Switzerland, we don't have sausages until much later in the day, if we do at all. (Let's forget all about kidneys and such.)

Recipe: Eggs and spicy potatoes (aka a Sunday Morning Fry Up)

Per person, you need:

• 2-3 fresh eggs
• 1-2 potatoes, depending on size. A firm variety for boiling or salads (not baking potatoes)
• peanut oil
• a mixture of all or some of the following spices: cardamon, turmeric, chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, curry powder, poppy seeds

Wash, peel and cube the potatoes into about 1 cm / 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat up oil in a frying pan or wok. Rapidly throw in the spices. Here you can put in as much or as little as you like, the more of the hot spices you throw in the hotter it would be of course. Add at least some sort of seeds for the texture. Stir it around just a bit - don't burn it - then throw in the potatoes. Toss toss toss until it's all coated. Then lower the heat and put on a lid. Peek in occasionally and turn.

Depending on how bit your cubes were, the potatoes will be done in about 20 minutes. You want the outsides to be quite crunchy, insides cooked through and soft. When it's done season with salt to taste.

Keep the potatoes hot and cook the eggs. Put some oil in a frying pan, or use a non-stick. (non-stick with a little oil gives you the best of both worlds - relatively low fat but that nice crunchy bottom). Cook over medium heat, then lower heat and put a lid on for a couple minutes until yolks are set. If you want to do over easy, flip the eggs at this point. I like a slightly runny yolk. Sprinkle with a touch of salt.

Server both piping hot. If you must , add some toast with jam to this.

Variations: add tomato slices, fried in pan. (I personally dislike sauteed or fried tomato slices.) Add sauteed mushrooms.(Mushrooms taste too much like "dinner" rather than "breakfast" to me.) Add fried bacon slices. (Now, crispy fried bacon on white toast with lots of strawberry jam is a real treat.)