German Farmer's Breakfast with Bacon and Egg

Ingredients

• 800 g fully cooked, peeled, and thoroughly chilled waxy potatoes from the previous day, sliced 5 mm thick
• 150 g smoked streaky bacon, cut into 8 mm dice
• 180 g yellow onions, cut into 4 mm half-rings
• 20 ml rapeseed oil, divided
• 8 medium eggs
• 30 ml cold water
• 15 ml cornichon brine
• 3 g fine salt
• 1 g freshly ground black pepper
• 2 g sweet paprika
• 120 g drained cornichons, thinly sliced
• 15 g fresh chives, finely sliced

Instructions

1. Use only potatoes that were chilled within 2 hours of cooking and have remained refrigerated at no more than 5°C. Slice them evenly to 5 mm. Prepare the bacon, onions, cornichons, and chives as specified.
2. Beat the eggs, cold water, cornichon brine, salt, pepper, and paprika with a fork only until the whites and yolks are combined. Do not whisk until foamy.
3. Put the diced bacon into a cold, large 30–32 cm frying pan. Render over medium heat for 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook for another 5–6 minutes, until the bacon is golden and the onions are soft with lightly browned edges.
4. Lift out the bacon and onions with a slotted spoon. Leave about 20 g rendered bacon fat in the pan; collect any excess in a heatproof container for another use or safe disposal.
5. Add 10 ml rapeseed oil to the bacon fat. Spread half the potato slices in as close to a single layer as possible and fry over medium-high heat for 6–7 minutes. Leave them undisturbed for the first 3 minutes, then turn gently and finish until golden. Transfer to a plate.
6. Add the remaining 10 ml rapeseed oil and fry the second half of the potatoes in the same way for 6–7 minutes. Return the first batch, bacon, and onions, fold together gently, spread flat, and heat through for 2 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the egg mixture evenly over the potatoes. Cook uncovered for 3 minutes, gently lifting the set edges two or three times so liquid egg can run underneath without turning the potatoes into scrambled eggs.
8. Cover the pan and cook for another 2–4 minutes. The farmer's breakfast is ready when the surface is matte, the center is fully set, and no liquid egg remains. For verified safe doneness, the center should reach at least 70°C and remain there for 2 minutes.
9. Remove from the heat, divide into four equal sections, and scatter with chives. Distribute the sliced cornichons alongside and serve immediately; bread, other sides, and drinks are excluded from the nutrition calculation.

Tips

• Thoroughly chilled day-old potatoes have less free surface moisture, slice neatly, and are much less likely to break during frying.
• Fry the potatoes in two batches; an overcrowded pan loses heat and produces soft, steamed slices instead of crisp ones.
• Start the bacon in a cold pan so its fat renders gradually and the pieces brown evenly before the onions are added.
• Reduce the heat once the eggs go in and cover the pan at the end; this sets the center fully without burning the base.
• Add the cornichons only when serving. Their acidity balances the bacon and frying fat without softening the crisp potatoes in the pan.

Common mistakes

• Using warm or damp potatoes → work only with thoroughly chilled potatoes and keep the cut surfaces dry.
• Adding all the potatoes to a small pan → fry in two batches and as close to a single layer as possible.
• Moving the potatoes constantly → leave the first side untouched for 3 minutes before turning.
• Cooking the eggs over high heat → reduce to medium-low after frying and cover the pan at the end.
• Serving while the center is still glossy and liquid → cook until fully set; for verified safety, hold 70°C for 2 minutes.

Variations and substitutions

• Starting from raw potatoes: cook about 1 kg waxy potatoes in their skins, chill them within 2 hours, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. This extra time is not included in the stated 50 minutes.
• Vegetarian: replace the bacon with 150 g firm smoked tofu cut into 8 mm dice and use 35 ml rapeseed oil in total; soy becomes an additional allergen.
• Leaner: replace the streaky bacon with 150 g diced lean cooked ham and add 15 ml extra rapeseed oil for frying; nutrition and product allergens will change.
• Cornichons: replace with 120 g well-drained pickled red onions, using brine from the same product and checking its label for allergens.
• Spicier: add 1 g chilli flakes to the egg mixture with the paprika; all base quantities and cooking times remain unchanged.

Storage and notes

Storage

The cooked potatoes used as the starting ingredient must be chilled within 2 hours, kept at no more than 5°C, and used within 2 days. Do not leave the finished farmer's breakfast unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours; transfer leftovers promptly to shallow containers, refrigerate airtight for no more than 2 days, and reheat only once to at least 74°C throughout. Discard reheated leftovers. Freezing is not recommended because the potatoes may turn grainy and the egg may release water.

Allergens

Contains egg. Depending on the products, bacon and cornichons with their brine may contain mustard, celery, soy, or gluten; check labels. The base recipe is dairy-free and nut-free. For a gluten-free version, use bacon and cornichons specifically labelled gluten-free. The vegetarian smoked-tofu variation contains soy.

Food safety

• Handle raw eggs separately from cornichons, chives, and other ready-to-eat ingredients; thoroughly clean hands, bowl, fork, and work surface afterward.
• Do not use eggs with cracked shells.
• Cook the egg mixture until fully set. For children, pregnant people, older adults, or anyone immunocompromised, the center must reach at least 70°C for 2 minutes.
• Chill both cooked potatoes and the finished egg dish within 2 hours; reheat leftovers to at least 74°C throughout.

Editorial context

This presentation and its supporting notes were edited for Rezepte daheim. It does not claim invention of the dish.

No personal kitchen test is currently documented for this version.