Egg and bacon hash
Eggs and bacon make a great standby supper but if you cook them with potatoes to make a hash they become a proper meal. This is a handy dish to cook if you have boiled or roast potatoes leftover from another meal too.
This recipe is part of a Budget meal plan for four. In September 2023 this recipe was costed at an average of £4.04 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. This recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- 800g/1lb 12oz potatoes, cut into roughly 15mm/⅝in chunks
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3–4 rashers smoked bacon, thinly sliced
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 x 400g tins baked beans
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water 1cm/½in higher than the potatoes. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat slightly and simmer the potatoes for 5 minutes, or until tender but not falling apart. Drain in a colander and leave to stand for 5 minutes to dry the potatoes a little. (If using leftover cooked potatoes, you can leave this step out altogether and simply cut the potatoes into small chunks.)
Place a large non-stick frying pan, shallow wide-based casserole or sauté pan over a high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and fry the onion, bacon and potatoes together for 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring often. Add a little more oil if the potatoes begin to stick. Season with ground black pepper.
Reduce the heat to low, make four dips in the vegetables and crack an egg into each one. Cover the pan with a lid or large piece of kitchen foil and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until the egg whites are set and the yolks remain runny. (If the pan is over a high heat, the potatoes will burn before the eggs are cooked.)
While the eggs are cooking, heat the beans in a microwave or in a pan on the hob, according to the instructions on the tin. Serve the potatoes and bacon with the beans alongside.
Recipe Tips
If you want to serve a couple of eggs to each person, you can fry them separately in another pan instead of cooking with the potatoes and bacon if you like.
Sprinkle the potatoes with dried flaked chilles and toss lightly before adding the eggs for a bit more spice.