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Broken eggs with acorn-fed Iberian ham · Simple recipe

Broken eggs with Iberian ham

Broken eggs are the trial by fire of any honest kitchen: three main ingredients (potato, egg, ham), nowhere to hide and nowhere to dress things up. If the oil is good, the potato is good and the ham is the real thing, the dish makes itself. If any of the three fails, there’s no way.

In Guijuelo it’s a short-lunch recipe, a market-day one, for when guests turn up unannounced. It comes together in 25 minutes, needs no odd ingredient and makes clear to the diner what kind of ham there is in the house. Here’s our version, no frills.

Ingredients for 4 people

Step by step

  1. Take the ham out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before starting. Iberian fat needs to temper to release its aromas. Place it on the final serving plate, separating the slices.
  2. Peel and cut the potatoes into thick batons, panadera-style or a little thinner. Don’t cut them too thin: they have to withstand contact with the egg without fully softening. Dry them well with a kitchen cloth.
  3. Fry the potatoes in two stages. First over medium heat (oil at around 140–150 degrees) for 8–10 minutes so they cook inside without colouring. Take out, raise the heat to 180 degrees, and put the potatoes back for another 3–4 minutes until they lightly brown and turn crisp outside, tender inside. Drain on paper.
  4. Salt the potatoes while hot with a touch of Maldon and spread them in a wide dish or on individual plates.
  5. Fry the eggs in plenty of hot oil, one by one, until the white is set and the edges lightly crisp (lacy). The yolk has to stay liquid; that’s the point.
  6. Place the eggs over the potatoes and, with a knife and fork, break the yolks over the potato, spreading them. No fear, no aiming for geometry: broken eggs are broken eggs.
  7. Distribute the Iberian ham slices on top, while the heat of the potato and egg is still rising. The slices melt slightly and the Iberian fat starts to shine and release perfume. That’s the moment.

Serve immediately, with a piece of bread alongside to mop. Don’t even wait two minutes.

Suggested pairing

This dish calls for a wine without pretension but with personality. A young albariño works very well for its citrus freshness, which offsets the fat of the fried potato and brings out the ham’s sweetness. If you prefer red, a Ribera del Duero crianza served cool, around 14 degrees, not uncorked too far in advance. For something more informal, a cold draught beer is the time-honoured bar option and needs no justifying.

For this recipe we want slices that melt with the heat of the egg and release generous fat, not stiff slices. The 75% Iberian-breed acorn-fed ham, Guijuelo PDO is the ideal option: 36 months of curing, well-distributed infiltrated fat veins and a slice that dissolves on contact with heat.

If you want to take the dish to its peak, substitute the pata negra, Guijuelo PDO. It’s another level, and this dish is an excellent showcase for a piece like that.

Ask for the vacuum slicing when ordering: it arrives finely machine-cut, with just the right thickness to melt with the egg without losing texture.

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