1458. TURKISH EGGS served with GARLIC MUSHROOMS, BACON CURLS and CRISPY POTATOES

serves four


250 grams plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed, optional
a pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
50 grams spinach leaves
8 long thin rashers of streaky bacon, rind removed

600 grams potatoes, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

20 grams butter
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
500 grams mushrooms, halved
60 ml water
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.

To make the crispy potatoes, place the cubed potatoes and olive oil in a bowl and toss well until the potatoes are evenly coated.

Spread the potato evenly out on a roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes until golden and crispy, turning now and then. Once roasted, remove from the oven and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Keep warm until serving.

Meanwhile, prepare the bacon curls. Roll each bacon rasher around 2 fingers to form a curl. Stand the bacon curls up in a roasting tray and roast for 20 minutes until crispy. Remove from the oven and keep warm until serving.

To prepare the garlic mushrooms place the butter and garlic in a saucepan over a medium to high heat. Add the mushrooms and water and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked and the liquid is syrupy. Keep warm until serving.

Once the potatoes and bacon are cooked, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/gas 4.

Mix together the yogurt and garlic and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Divide the yogurt mixture between four small ovenproof dishes and heat through in the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a deep frying pan with 5cm of water and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and immediately break the eggs into the pan. To stop the egg whites spreading too much, break the eggs directly into the water, carefully opening the shells at the water surface so that the eggs slide into the water.

Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and leave the eggs to cook undisturbed in the water for about 3 minutes. The eggs are cooked when the whites are opaque. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a clean tea towel.

Mix the olive oil and paprika together in a small bowl. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove the yoghurt from the oven and top with the spinach leaves and poached egg. Drizzle over the olive oil mixture and serve at once with the crispy potatoes, bacon curls and garlic mushrooms.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Bill Granger, Good Food Bites, UKTV Food