Huevos Rotos con Jamón
Huevos Rotos con Jamón·(WEH-vos RO-tos kon ha-MON)
Chapter 3: Hot Tapas
There is perhaps no dish that encapsulates the soul of the Spanish tapas bar better than this—a steaming, golden mountain of potatoes crowned with liquid eggs and melting cured ham. In Madrid institutions like Casa Lucio, waitstaff carry platters through noisy dining rooms, violently slashing the yolks at the table to the delight of the patrons. It's a peasant dish elevated by uncompromising ingredients: aggressively starchy potatoes, peppery extra virgin olive oil, and the sweet, acorn-fed fat of Jamón Ibérico. To pull this off at home without abandoning your guests to slave over a hot stove, we rely on the professional restaurant double-fry technique. Fry the potatoes early, chill them out, and finish them in three minutes flat while the wine is pouring.
Before you start
Soak the cut potatoes in acidulated water.
Submerge the potato batons in a large bowl of cold water spiked with the white vinegar for 30 minutes to draw out the surface starches and prevent sticking.
Dry the potatoes thoroughly.
Drain the potatoes and spread them out on clean kitchen towels, patting them completely dry so they don't splatter violently in the hot oil.
Par-fry the potatoes to cook them through.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven to 325°F. Working in batches, fry the potatoes for 6 to 8 minutes until pale, limp, and fully cooked.
Chill the potatoes to lock in the starch structure.
Remove the potatoes with a spider, drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, and cool completely to room temperature before refrigerating. This forces the starches to crystallize for a restaurant-quality crunch later.
Ingredients
- Russet potatoes2 lb
- white vinegar1 tbsp
- Spanish extra virgin olive oil4 cup
- pasture-raised eggs4 large
- Jamón Ibérico3 oz
- flaky sea salt1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Bring the oils up to a ripping high heat.
When you are ready to serve, return the Dutch oven of olive oil to 390°F over medium-high heat, and heat 3 tablespoons of that hot oil in a smaller skillet.
- 02
Execute the second fry for maximum crunch.
Drop the chilled, par-fried potatoes into the deep oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until they blister into a deep, glass-like golden brown.
- 03
Fry the eggs and execute the flip.
Crack the eggs into the smaller skillet, letting the whites bubble into crispy, lacy edges for about 45 to 60 seconds. Carefully flip each egg for exactly 15 seconds to seal the white without compromising the liquid yolk, then remove from heat.
- 04
Plate and season the hot potatoes.
Remove the crispy potatoes from the oil, drain briefly, season aggressively with flaky sea salt, and mound them onto a warmed serving platter.
- 05
Drape the ham over the potatoes to render the fat.
Lay the paper-thin slices of Jamón Ibérico directly over the steaming potatoes. Do not cook the ham in the pan; let the ambient heat gently melt that exquisite, acorn-fed fat.
- 06
Crown with the eggs and break them at the table.
Slide the fried eggs on top of the ham, carry the platter to the table, and use two forks to violently slash the eggs, allowing the hot yolks to cascade through the ham and coat the crispy potatoes.
Notes
Do not compromise on the ham or the olive oil.
This dish relies entirely on the interplay of hot potatoes and delicate pork fat. If Jamón Ibérico is out of budget, use a high-quality Jamón Serrano, but American bacon or standard deli ham cannot replicate the chemical interaction and will completely ruin the dish.