Okay, so this has been a very frustrating little challenge for me. It's Paper Chef time (originally the creation of Owen of Tomatilla and now coordinated by Ilva of Lucullian Delights), and the required ingredients (drawn randomly from a larger list) are potatoes, rutabagas, plum tomatoes and bacon. I had what I thought was a great idea but ran into issues.
You'll notice there is no photo of my dish. Why? Because I forgot to charge my camera and I was hungry and there was NO WAY I was going to wait an hour while my dinner got cold. See, I'm on my own this week and so I only made a single serving (even though I am writing the recipe up for four). So you get a random shot of potatoes taken at the Union Square Greenmarket.
The other annoying event was the realization that roasted tomatoes were NOT the right choice for my dish. They were too concentrated. Too sweet. They stole the show, and not in a happy way. I was pretty pleased with the rosti and cheese and egg portion, and I think unroasted tomato would have been lovely.
Ah well. Here is my entry for Paper Chef, and if you have any interest in making this dish whatsoever, don't bother roasting the tomatoes. Just use a raw slice.
Baked Egg on Bacon Rosti with Roasted Tomato
4 servings
2 tomatoes
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1 russet potato
1 rutabage
1 shallot
2 slices of bacon
1/2 cup grated gruyere
4 eggs
fresh sage (about 1 teaspoon, finely chopped)
fresh parsley
Heat the oven to 350 F. Roast the tomatoes by cutting off the stem-end and then cutting them in half. Place them on a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt. Place the baking sheet in the oven and let the tomatoes roast for about 3 hours (roasted tomatoes should ideally be left much longer than 3 hours, but if you're a last minute person, like I am, you can get decent results with a shorter period of time. In light of how this dish actually turned out, don't bother with this step at all. Just cut one tomato into four slices and call it a day).
When the tomatoes are ready remove them from the oven and let them cool to room temperature while you prepare the rosti.
Cut the bacon into 1/4 inch slices and fry in a skillet until just cooked (not crispy). Drain on a paper towel, reserving the skillet and bacon grease.
Coarsely grate the potato and half of the rutabaga and place in a bowl. Finely chop the shallot and add it to the bowl. Add the cooked bacon and the sage, as well as a bit of salt and pepper. Shape into four rounds, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter, and fry in the bacon grease (adding a little vegetable oil, if needed) about 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Oil the inside of your baking dishes and place them on a baking sheet. Place a round of rosti in the bottom of each baking dish, topped with a roasted tomato. Sprinkle with a little of the grated gruyere. Carefully break an egg over the tomato and cheese. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolks are remain runny. Garnish with a little chopped parsley and serve.
