SWOTTERS' DELIGHT: ENGLISH BREAKFAST SALAD, lower-fat, frugal-dish

Perfect for grazing students... 

English Breakfast Salad, Tomatoes & Mushrooms
'A brilliant, practical way of presenting breakfast for swotting students or a holiday weekend!'

This salad is perfect for occasions when you're not sure when people will turn up for breakfast.  

It has a lovely twist  -- it's full of breakfast goodies:  bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and potatoes.  The only thing missing is sausages but are easily added.  Cook them the low-fat way to keep the salad as healthy as possible. 

Preparation couldn't be easier.  New potatoes, if you can get/afford them have thin skins, don't need peeling and cook quickly. The picture shows the recipe using half a kilo of new potatoes but you could double the amount of potatoes and still have a lovely, lively salad.  (Of course, any waxy potato will do for this recipe.) 

The bacon is cooked in the oven for low-maintenance.

Serve with crusty French or pumpernickel bread,  iced coffee and/or orange juice and mint.  

The food can be prepared in advance and assembled on the day.  
    
Cost: £3.50 (using new potatoes @£1.50 per kilo but other waxy potatoes can be used)
Feeds:  4-8, depending on how many potatoes are used,

Ingred:
   1/2-1 kilo/1-2 pounds new potatoes (ordinary potatoes are fine)
   6 slices streaky or back bacon 
   3 large eggs 

   1 small clove garlic, minced or grated
   2 tbsp lime zest 
   1 tbsp each minced fresh (or 1 tsp dried) basil & parsley (opt)
   1/8-1/4 tsp salt
    3 tbsp mayonnaise
   6 tbsp 0-fat Greek or strained yoghurt

   1 large ripe tomato (about 6 oz/170 gms)
   4 oz/13 gm mushrooms
   1 whole grapefruit (opt)
   a quarter cup finely chopped chives

   crisp lettuce for garnish

Method:

1. Lay bacon on a rack in a tray and bake at 350F/180C for 20 mins or until crisp.  Pat with paper towel to remove grease. When cool, cut the slices in 6-8 pieces. Cool, cover and refrigerate.
2. Cook and peel eggs as below.  Refrigerate.  
3. Ensure potatoes are more or less the same size; if some are very small, hold back.  Place potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted water.; bring to a boil; simmer about 10 mins or till tender (the point of a sharp knife should meet a little resistance in the middle); add small potatoes half way through cooking; drain, cool 45 mins & refrigerate.
4.  For yoghurt mayo: mix mayonnaise & yoghurt; add garlic, lime zest, salt and herbs (opt). Refrigerate

Before Assembling:

1. Remove items from fridge half an hour before serving to come to room temperature
2. Halve each egg lengthwise; cut each half into 4 wedges; set aside
3. Cut tomato in med dice
4. Chop mushrooms in med dice
5. Chop chives, reserving a few tablespoons
6. Peel & segment grapefruit if using; chop in medium dice 
7. Stir tomato, mushrooms, chive & grapefruit into yoghurt
8. Add potatoes to yoghurt-mayo mix; stir to coat

Assembly:

1. Arrange lettuce leaves around outside of platter
2. Add layer of dressed potatoes 
3. Reserve a heaped tablespoon each bacon & egg for garnish. 
4. Sprinkle a handful of bacon & a few egg wedges over first potato layer 
5. Add a 2nd layer of potatoes; repeat step 4 until potatoes are used up 
6. Garnish with bacon & egg and fresh chopped chives  

Tips:

• This also makes a great picnic dish
• Foolproof Hardboiled eggs without sulphur ring: place eggs in a pan of cold water; bring to a boil; turn off heat; cover with lid.  Leave 10 mins then plunge into ice water OR run under cold water until eggs are cold. Roll on a flat hard surface, shells will crack and peel away easily

                         More salads on NavBar: Recipes II/Salads 

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This recipe  has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.