SNACKS

campfire cookin’, summer 2010

it is said that you have better sex through gourmet camping (or, at least i once read that in esquire). as i’m sure can be expected, cooking is my favourite part of camping (is it weird to pack a salt & pepper shaker next to your bathing suit?). there’s definitely something romantic about waking up in the country, and starting a fire to cook for the one you love. you need not be camping for this recipe to work, but it definitely doesn’t hurt.

note: for this recipe to work in the middle of nowhere, you will need to pack a cutting board, a good knife, a wooden spoon, paper towel and do the appropriate mise-en-place ahead of time (like blanching the fingerling potatoes). this recipe also works for a delicious dinner as soon as you settle into the your campsite and crack a cold one as the sun is setting.

bacon, smashed fingerling + cheddar hash with baked eggs

1lb good quality smoked bacon, diced
2lb fingerling potatoes, blanched + smashed
4 big, fat garlic cloves skinned + smashed
handful of cherry tomatoes
1 bunch spinach, rinsed + trimmed
cheddar, brie or other cheese
4 farm fresh hen eggs
fresh thyme
s+p

build a fire (this is where your loved one comes in handy), and burn until the embers (or coals) are too hot for your hand to hover over them for more than a second. rest your cast iron pan on the hot embers (or coals) until very hot.

cook diced bacon until crisp, remove and set on a paper towel to drain. fry smashed fingerlings + onion until potatoes are golden & crispy in the hot bacon fat. add fresh thyme, garlic + cherry tomatoes until they blister. add spinach until wilted. add cooked bacon & top with cheddar (or brie, or otherwise) and create four wells for your eggs. crack eggs (one into each well) and cook until cheese is melted & whites are set, but yolks still runny. eggs sprinkle generously with salt + pepper.

serve with grilled sourdough & a hot coffee straight from the percolator. enjoy, along with eachother’s company in perfect solitude. xo