HOLIDAY ENGLISH BREAKFAST SALAD, skinner, budget friendly, lower-fat, prep ahead

A unusual crowd-pleasing breakfast salad for a holiday weekend or students in the exam trenches...

first published May 2016 as English Breakfast Salad

Holiday guests wandering down for brekkie will love the novelty of this substantial dish 

This salad is perfect for holiday weekends when you're not sure how many people will turn up - or when - for brunch.

It has a lovely twist: it has all the elements of an English breakfast --  bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and potatoes -- in salad form.  And even with dressing, it's lower in fat than usual.  

The salad in the photo doesn't have sausages 'cause the 67 kitchen didn't have any but if they're wanted, add cold sausages, cooked the low-fat way. 

Take advantage of new potatoes if you can; their skins are so thin, they don't need peeling and they cook quickly.  But any waxy 'tater will do; just try to make them as equal in size as possible.

The picture shows the recipe using half a kilo of potatoes but you could double the amount of potatoes and still have a lovely, lively salad.  

Serve with crusty French or pumpernickel bread, with iced coffee (a shot of Baileys or whiskey is optional) and/or white wine spritzers with fresh orange juice and mint.  Kids can have white grape juice & fizzy water with a little fresh orange juice, or milky iced coffee.

The food can be prepared in advance and assembled on the day.  
    
Cost: £5'ish
Feeds: depending on how many potatoes are used, 4-8  

Ingred:
   1/2-1 kilo/1-2 pounds potatoes 

   6 slices streaky bacon 
   3-6 large eggs 

   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 

Dressing
   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   

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. If using new potatoes, ensure they 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 10 mins or till tender (the point of a sharp knife should meet a little resistance in the middle); (for new potatoes, add smaller ones 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 lax yer 
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:
Foolproof Hard-Boiled Eggs without sulphur ring.  Place eggs in a pan of cold water; bring to a boil; turn off heat, cover with a lid; leave 10 minutes.  Run under cold water.  Roll on a flat surface, pressing down lightly so shells crack and peel easily.  

                        More salads on NavBar: Recipes II

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