Recipe: Black Forest Home Fries

the appetizer:

This German recipe for Black Forest Home Fries is from Walter Staib's cookbook, Black Forest Cuisine.

Black Forest
Home Fries

Serves 4

As simple as these home fries are, they contain all the elements of a delicious and satisfying Black Forest meal. The few ingredients called for here are still typically found in every kitchen in the region, and the dish comes together in no time.

Rather than cook potatoes just for home fries, my mother relied on leftover boiled potatoes from the previous day's lunch or dinner. In addition to the bacon, she might have tossed in ham, pieces of roast from the night before or mushrooms. To make a complete meal, she often added eggs (see the variation below), making a frittata of sorts, and finished it in the oven.

Serve these home fries for brunch or as part of a satisfying lunch. Toss in some meat or vegetables, garnish the dish with chopped chives, and serve it with a glass of dry white wine for a quick but elegant supper.

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
Salt
1 pound bacon, cut into strips about 2 inches long and 1/8-inch wide
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, pour in water just to cover, and season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are just tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes, cool slightly, and cut into slices about 1/4-inch thick.

2. Heat a large cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the bacon, and sauté until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving about 3 tablespoons of rendered fat in the pan.

3. Heat the reserved fat over medium heat, add the garlic and onion, and sauté until golden brown. (If you wish to add meat to the dish, toss it in at this point.)

4. Toss in the bacon, potatoes, and marjoram and season with salt and pepper. Cook the home fries, stirring frequently, until well browned and the potatoes come together to form one big cake.

5. Serve the home fries on a large platter.

Variation:
Make this a full meal by adding eggs. After browning the potatoes, fold about 8 to 10 lightly beaten eggs into the home fries and place in a 350 degree F oven until the eggs are just cooked, about 5 minutes.

from:
Black Forest Cuisine
The Classic Blending of European Flavors
by Walter Staib with Jennifer Lindner McGlinn
Forewords by Tim Ryan and Franz Mitterer
Running Press, 2006
$35.00/hardcover
Full-color photographs throughout
ISBN: 0-7624-2135-5
Recipe reprinted by permission.

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