January 2, 2009.
I didn’t want to just divulge every little habit or hobby from the start, but I found something during my bag-of-potatoes foray on Sunday: a list.
I collect grocery lists. Well, I don’t usually keep them, at least for long, but I love to read them, construct the life of the writer and figure out what he or she was going to cook. The lists can be bizarre, or the game can be quite easy. But it’s always fun and interesting. The $1.29 potato special apparently jumped off the circular page for this list writer too, a woman. Believe me, men’s lists are identifiable, and this wasn’t one of them. [More on that later.]
Her list was short and sweet, with just three items: “eggs, bag potatoes, can. bacon.” But Oh, what was going to be made with them … at least I knew exactly what I would do with them:
Warm your oven to 200 to 250 degrees.
If not already sliced, cut your Canadian bacon into the desired number of slices (or slabs), setting aside a remaining amount to dice.
Peel (if desired) as many potatoes as you want, then slice them into disks. Set aside in a deep bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk as many eggs as you need. Add some milk to lighten the mixture and whisk again.
Heat a heavy skillet or deep cast iron pan over medium heat.
Melt a good knob of butter in the pan, being careful that it doesn’t scorch. If it does, lower your flame and start over. Canadian bacon is lean (really, it is), so you need a little lubrication. Use a blend of butter and Canola oil if you fear a cholesterol bomb. Then again, if you do, why are you making this dish?
Cook the sliced Canadian bacon in batches to avoid overlapping. Once the edges are golden brown and caramelized, place on one side of a large, oval platter, cover with foil, and place in the warm oven.
Salt and pepper your potatoes, tossing with your hands in the bowl to evenly coat. Lube your pan some more, and don’t be stingy. This is where some variations can begin:
Sauté the diced Canadian bacon in the pan with a sprinkle of sugar. Or caramelize some thinly sliced onions, if that’s the direction you’re taking. Add minced garlic if you’d like. Either way, you’re starting the potatoes. Keeping them plain is very good as well. Toss them into the same pan.
Let them sit and sizzle a bit to form a crust on the bottom potatoes. Gently agitate the pan, then flip the potatoes over. Let the top ones form a good crust now that they’re on the bottom. Continue this process until they’re crispy, browned and just about cooked through. Re-season to taste and place in a covered serving dish or casserole and place in the warm oven.
Re-whisk your eggs to lighten and add air. Make sure the pan is not too hot. And that’s ALL you are to do to the pan: do not wipe it, do not scrape it, do not empty it, do not even breathe on it wrong. Everything you want is now stuck to the bottom.
If you didn’t use it in the potatoes, add the diced Canadian bacon to the pan with a little more butter. Sauté until sweet and caramelized, then add the eggs to the pan. Salt & pepper the eggs to taste. Scramble to desired doneness with a flat-edged wooden spatula.
Place the eggs on the open half of the oblong platter holding the warm Canadian bacon slices. Serve with the warm potatoes from the oven. Feed the crowd some fruit salad or melon wedges to assuage the guilt. Top with a Bloody Mary.
I didn’t want to just divulge every little habit or hobby from the start, but I found something during my bag-of-potatoes foray on Sunday: a list.
I collect grocery lists. Well, I don’t usually keep them, at least for long, but I love to read them, construct the life of the writer and figure out what he or she was going to cook. The lists can be bizarre, or the game can be quite easy. But it’s always fun and interesting. The $1.29 potato special apparently jumped off the circular page for this list writer too, a woman. Believe me, men’s lists are identifiable, and this wasn’t one of them. [More on that later.]
Her list was short and sweet, with just three items: “eggs, bag potatoes, can. bacon.” But Oh, what was going to be made with them … at least I knew exactly what I would do with them:
Warm your oven to 200 to 250 degrees.
If not already sliced, cut your Canadian bacon into the desired number of slices (or slabs), setting aside a remaining amount to dice.
Peel (if desired) as many potatoes as you want, then slice them into disks. Set aside in a deep bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk as many eggs as you need. Add some milk to lighten the mixture and whisk again.
Heat a heavy skillet or deep cast iron pan over medium heat.
Melt a good knob of butter in the pan, being careful that it doesn’t scorch. If it does, lower your flame and start over. Canadian bacon is lean (really, it is), so you need a little lubrication. Use a blend of butter and Canola oil if you fear a cholesterol bomb. Then again, if you do, why are you making this dish?
Cook the sliced Canadian bacon in batches to avoid overlapping. Once the edges are golden brown and caramelized, place on one side of a large, oval platter, cover with foil, and place in the warm oven.
Salt and pepper your potatoes, tossing with your hands in the bowl to evenly coat. Lube your pan some more, and don’t be stingy. This is where some variations can begin:
Sauté the diced Canadian bacon in the pan with a sprinkle of sugar. Or caramelize some thinly sliced onions, if that’s the direction you’re taking. Add minced garlic if you’d like. Either way, you’re starting the potatoes. Keeping them plain is very good as well. Toss them into the same pan.
Let them sit and sizzle a bit to form a crust on the bottom potatoes. Gently agitate the pan, then flip the potatoes over. Let the top ones form a good crust now that they’re on the bottom. Continue this process until they’re crispy, browned and just about cooked through. Re-season to taste and place in a covered serving dish or casserole and place in the warm oven.
Re-whisk your eggs to lighten and add air. Make sure the pan is not too hot. And that’s ALL you are to do to the pan: do not wipe it, do not scrape it, do not empty it, do not even breathe on it wrong. Everything you want is now stuck to the bottom.
If you didn’t use it in the potatoes, add the diced Canadian bacon to the pan with a little more butter. Sauté until sweet and caramelized, then add the eggs to the pan. Salt & pepper the eggs to taste. Scramble to desired doneness with a flat-edged wooden spatula.
Place the eggs on the open half of the oblong platter holding the warm Canadian bacon slices. Serve with the warm potatoes from the oven. Feed the crowd some fruit salad or melon wedges to assuage the guilt. Top with a Bloody Mary.
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