Huevos Rotos

Ingredients

• 4potatoesmedium, good for frying; peeled, cut into slices or sticks
• 5eggspreferably free-range; fried with runny yolks
• 1 cupolive oilextra virgin; plenty for frying the potatoes and the eggs
• 5¼ ozserrano hamvery thinly sliced or finely chopped; ibérico ham also works
• saltfor the potatoes; use sparingly because of the ham
• 4 clovesgarlicsliced, fried with the potatoes (optional)
• 1 tsppaprikasprinkled over before serving (optional)
• parsleyfreshly chopped, for sprinkling (optional)

Method

1. Cut and soak the potatoesPeel the potatoes and cut them into slices or sticks. Soak them in cold water to rinse off the excess starch, then pat them thoroughly dry.
2. Cook the potatoes gently in oilWarm plenty of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and let them cook gently until tender. If you like, add the sliced garlic and let it fry along with them.
3. Fry the potatoes until goldenFinally, turn the heat up high and fry the potatoes until lightly golden.
4. Drain, salt and plateLift the potatoes out of the oil, let them drain and season with salt, but go easy, since the ham brings its own saltiness. Spread them out on a platter or individual plates.
5. Pour off oil and heat the panPour off all but a few spoonfuls of the oil and get the pan very hot.
6. Fry the eggsSlide in the eggs one at a time or a few at once and fry until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.
7. Top with eggs and hamSet the fried eggs on top of the potatoes and drape the serrano ham over or tuck it underneath. Sprinkle with pimentón and chopped parsley if you like.
8. Break, toss and eatAt the table, break the eggs open with a fork or spoon, toss everything together with the potatoes and eat straight away.

Tips and variations

For especially creamy potatoes, confit them in the oil at about 110 °C first, then fry them golden at 180 °C. If you prefer it plain, skip the ham and stick to potatoes and eggs. Fried chorizo or picadillo with slow-cooked onions and garlic also make a good addition – or, instead of ham, try fried squid with Padrón peppers and a pinch of pimentón. For a lighter take, use oven-baked sweet potato fries with pepper and parsley. Put the platter in the middle of the table and break the eggs together, right when everything is still hot.