Potato Nests with Eggs, Peppers and Mushrooms

By Lisa & Tony Sierra

Source
http://spanishfood.about.com/od/maincourses/r/potatonestsegg.htm

This modern dish, made with typically Spanish ingredients can be made as either a tapa or as a main course for a light dinner or lunch. If preparing it as a tapa, use quail eggs in smaller potato nests. Serve with a green salad and slices of Serrano ham and bread for a completely Spanish dinner.

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes
• 24-32 oz olive oil
• 9 oz mushrooms
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 8 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tsp chopped parsley

Preparation:

This potato nest recipe makes 4 servings as a main course or 8 servings as a “tapa.”

Peel and grate the potatoes. Immediately pour 1.5 to 2-inches olive oil into a 8 or 10-inch heavy-bottomed deep frying pan or electric fryer. Heat oil. When hot enough to fry, press one quarter of grated potatoes into bottom of a small sieve to form the “nest.” Put another small sieve on top to keep potatoes in place and fry in hot oil until golden. Remove and drain upside-down on a paper towel. Fry 3 more nests and drain.

De-seed and slice peppers into strips. Slice green onions into 2-inch lengths. Slice mushrooms. In another 8 to 10-inch frying pan, heat a few Tbsp of olive oil and sauté the vegetables until softened.

Fry the eggs one at a time. Turn over “nests” and fill each one with the sautéed vegetables and fried eggs.

Garnish with parsley.

Variations

• Tapa-Size – Make 8 smaller nests with the potatoes. Top each with a fried quail egg instead of a chicken egg.
• Potato Blanket – Instead of nests, simplify the recipe by making “pancakes” rather than “nests.” Make potatoes into 4 pancake-shaped mounds and flatten. Pour only a 1/4-inch of oil in frying pan and fry on both sides until golden.
• Ham and Egg Nests – Replace onions, mushrooms and peppers with slices of Spanish Serrano ham and top with an egg.