An Egg-cellent Brunch!

Patate Dolce Grattuggiate, con Uovo in Camicia, Radicchio di Treviso e Dragoincello

Sweet Potato Hash Browns with Poached Egg, Radicchio di Treviso and Tarragon

It sometimes really is the little things that matter. And generally speaking, a lot of us do tend to over-eat a little. Sometimes a small but tasty dish could be much more satisfying, if we take the time to enjoy some great flavors. And that does not mean that things have to be complicated to look spectacular, taste amazing and make a great impression on your guests.

Take this dish for example... quick, very inexpensive and totally easy to make, is a great alternative to the same-old same-old... whereby it is in fact exactly that! Hash browns made a little differently, from grated sweet potato, a simple poached egg ad a little side-salad of sorts. But with just enough of a twist to make it special and so very, very good...

I started off by grating the sweet potato. I used a half of an average size potato per person. Half of a spring onion, a little finely chopped mint, a little finely chopped parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg and a little finely chopped bacon... and into the pan it went! I stir-fried it until the bacon began to give of it's fat and juices and the potatoes slowly began to brown. I didn't add any extra fat until the potatoes changed color... this is a sign that they are almost done... and at this point I added a touch of olive oil, just to give them a slight glaze and a light olive flavor.

The egg was simply poached in the usual fashion, in a saucepan of water to which I had added little splash of white vinegar. Once the water had come to the boil, I added a hint of salt, took it off the heat and gave the water a stir until it began to swirl. I cracked my egg into a ladle and drop it carefully into the center of the swirl, and the motion of the water made the egg-white swirl around the egg yolk, enclosing it nicely and keeping it in shape. I let it simmer for 3-4 minutes before serving as I do not like my egg to be too runny- that of course is a matter of taste though!

I had some cute little baby radicchio which I chose to use for this dish, just for visual reasons, but the regular radicchio or even endives are just as good. I added tarragon and parmesan cheese to this to make my side- salad and seasoned it with a little salt, then dressed it in a little honey, a drizzle of olive oil and a light squeeze of lime juice... in the combination- delicious!

I served the poached egg on top of a bed of sweet-potato hash, which I patted into shape, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, added a drop or two of olive oil... and that was that!
Brunch was finished and ready to be served... and a real treat it was too!