Tag Archives: Shakshuka

Fried Eggs on Rösti Potatoes with Shakshuka Sauce

Rösti potatoes are considered by some to be the national dish of Switzerland. Essentially, they are a giant potato pancake. They differ from latkes in that they do not contain any egg, flour or other binding ingredients. They can be made with either Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. The Yukon Gold is a bit waxier and will result in a slightly crispier rösti.

The key to a successful rösti is low and slow cooking and enough fat to achieve crispness. I like a mix of butter (for flavour) and vegetable oil (to keep the butter from burning). A non-stick pan is ideal for making rösti.

You could certainly serve the rösti plain, as a side dish for dinner, but I love to treat it like a blank canvas and add toppings. My topping of choice is always fried eggs! It’s no secret, that I adore breakfast for dinner. I’d happily eat eggs for every meal. I decided to serve it with a Shakshuka sauce on the side, as I didn’t want to make the rösti soggy.

Shakshuka is a Middle Eastern/Northern African dish with eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce. Last summer, my daughter and her fiancé were living with us at the cottage. She made brunch for us almost every Sunday. I always requested her homemade sourdough and Shakshuka. She used the recipe from cookieandkate, and I just love the flavours.

A handful of arugula and a sprinkle of crumbled feta and cilantro finished the dish off perfectly.

Mexican Frittata

cooled and ready to cutI struggled with what to call this dish. To give you a better idea of what I created, try to imagine if Shakshuka and Nachos were to hook up. This dish would be their love child.

I first had Shakshuka a few years ago in Israel. It is essentially eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin. My husband loved it and kept asking me to recreate it at home. While I loved the classic rendition, I couldn’t resist tampering with it. Ingredients for sauceI began with the usual base for a Shakshuka sauce; canned tomatoes, onions, garlic and sweet peppers. I took a page from Mexican sauces and added a few dried chile peppers. I used an ancho and a guajillo pepper. Dried peppers add a depth of flavour you just can’t get from chile powder. Here is a great primer if you want to learn more about cooking with dried peppers. Many of the more popular dried peppers are not that spicy, so don’t be afraid. I added corn to my sauce because corn makes everything better.cheesesI knew that I wanted to top the dish with cheese, because, Nachos need cheese. I settled on a mix of cheddar, Monterey Jack and Queso Fresco, a mild cow’s milk cheese. If you can’t find it, Ricotta Salata would be a good substitute, or just use extra cheddar and Monterey Jack.

Rather than fooling with poached or fried eggs, I decided to make it easy and use scrambled eggs. Inspired by matzoh brei (fried matzoh), I briefly mixed the tortilla chips with the eggs, before pouring them over the tomato sauce. I added some chopped pickled jalapeños to the eggs for a bright bit of heat. ready for oveneggs and tortillasready to assembleready for ovenI served it with black beans, salsa and sour cream. Diced avocados or some guacamole would also be very welcome at this fiesta. ready to eat

Click here to print recipe for Mexican Frittata.

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