Broken eggs with potatoes and Serrano ham

From childhood, we are taught to fear the falling egg. From nursery rhymes and school sports days, we develop a need to treat the delicate capsules with utmost respect. This recipe is one of the rare instances in which Humpty Dumpty’s descent would have ended deliciously. It’s precisely the explosive breaking of the yolk that defines this dish.

Serves 1

2 slices of Serrano ham 1tbsp olive oil 1 new potato, finely sliced 1 garlic clove, finely sliced 4 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 spring onion, finely sliced 1tbsp sliced black olives Sea salt flakes and coarse black pepper 3 large eggs Small handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped Tabasco sauce, for drizzling Fresh bread

1 Heat a medium deep-sided frying or sauté pan over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the Serrano ham slices and fry for 30 secs or so per side, until brown and a little crispier. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2 Heat the oil in the same pan over a medium heat. Add the potato slices and fry for 8–10 mins, flipping once, until golden. Add the garlic, tomatoes, spring onion and olives, and stir-fry for a minute or two. Season well with sea salt flakes at this stage, so that the base ingredients are all as flavourful as possible.

3 Make three clearings in the pan for the eggs. Break the eggs and, holding them about 30cm above the pan, allow each egg to fall from the shell, crashing into the dents in the tomato mixture. Quickly season each egg with a little salt and pepper, then pop on the lid and cook just until the whites are softly set and the yolks remain runny.

4 Finish with a scattering of chopped parsley, and a drizzle of Tabasco sauce. Place the fried ham slices on top, and dig in, mopping up the sauce with chunks of fresh bread.