Egged on by school meals

THERE ARE three words guaranteed to strike fear into the heart of any child — back to school. However, there is an upside to the end of the summer holidays — not for the kids, of course, but for the parents who have tried to occupy their offspring for the previous month-and-a-half and now get to hand them over to their teachers for some much needed education.

Of course, the new term also means having a stock of quick midweek dinners. When I was at school back in the 1970s, my mother would often serve up wursht and eggs for a quick, convenient meal. It was fascinating to watch her cook it. She would dry-fry the wursht in a pan for a couple of minutes on each side, releasing a fairly spectacular amount of fat in which she would fry the eggs.

For years this meal was thought to be a cardiologist’s nightmare given the profusion of saturated fat and cholesterol it contained. Yet new research indicates that the real nutritional villain is refined carbohydrate rather than saturated fats, so maybe wursht and eggs should be reinstated.

A while back, I decided to update this classic by turning it into a kind of Spanish omelette with the addition of sweet potato and green chillies. First, finely slice an onion and saute gently in a large frying pan for a few minutes. Then add 100g of wursht cut into small cubes and peel and cut a large sweet potato into fine slices and add to the pan. Add a chopped green chilli to the mixture and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes until the sweet potato has softened.

While this is happening, beat four large eggs and season with salt and pepper. Add to the pan, replace the lid and allow the egg to set.

Now comes the tricky bit. Place a large plate over the pan, take a deep breath and invert the pan over the plate. If all goes well, the omelette should now be sitting on the plate. If so, slide the omelette back into the pan so that the cooked side is on top and heat for another minute or so. I did have a catastrophe on one occasion when my omelette splatted on to the floor. You can always wimp out and put the pan under a moderate grill to brown the top instead.

To serve, cut into wedges and accompany with salad. It’s tasty hot or cold and will give you plenty of energy to help the kids with their homework.

I did have a catastrophe when my omelette splatted on to the floor