When the Great Plains were opened up in the mid-1800’s for settlement, millions of German immigrants pounced on the chance to stake their claim; nearly 150 years later, I was growing up in Chicago, surrounded by their German-American descendants and the potato salads, schnitzels, and beer that continued to be popular. Over time, the hearty cuisine of Germany had become standard midwestern fare – you could find decent apple kuchens in any grocery store, and even as a little Asian girl, I knew an awful lot about wursts. So German food induces quite a bit of nostalgia in me – when Ian and Nancy, two friends from Berlin who are visiting us for the week, offered to make hoppel poppel one morning, I immediately agreed. I’d never heard of it, but it sounded cute. Maybe it would be light as air, like popcorn.
It turns out that the cutesy hoppel poppel is pretty much the opposite of light as air – hoppel poppel is another name for bauernfrühstück, a gargley, mouthful of a beast that sounds about as daunting as the dish really is. Translating into “farmer’s breakfast,” it was popularized by peasants in Bavaria who needed a big, solid breakfast to get them through a morning of hard labor. Nancy emphasized that I could use whatever I wanted as ingredients – aging vegetables in the fridge that needed cooking, bacon, cheese, it was all fair game. But in every bauernfrühstück, the vegetables, meat and even eggs are mere accessories; the potato is the real star.
Recipe follows:
Considering their ubiquity in German cuisine, it’s hard to imagine that potatoes were once considered strictly animal feed. But Frederick the Great decreed that peasants cultivate potatoes for human consumption in the mid-1700’s; the Seven Years War was ravaging the country, and potatoes seemed like a cheap and easy way to feed civilians and soldiers alike. Though it took almost a century, the potato eventually became a staple ingredient and today, according to Nadia Hassani’s “Spoonfuls of Germany,” nearly 250 varieties of potatoes are registered with the German Federal Office for Plant Protection.
But Brooklyn bodegas carry maybe 2 varieties of potatoes at any given time, so Ian came back with russet potatoes. Traditional bauernfrühstück recipes call for ham or bacon, as well as a healthy sprinkling of cheese, but today’s Germans are a bit more health-conscious than you’d think – Nancy likes her bauernfrühstück much lighter, with tomatoes, basil and spices like cumin seed and cayenne pepper that reflect Germany’s growing immigrant populations. Though Germany’s midwestern cousins might object, one thing is certain: there are endless permutations to bauernfrühstück to please everyone.
Bauernfrühstück
serves 4
* Nancy says that traditionally, bauernfrühstück is 2/3 potato and 1/3 everything else, but she prefers a more balanced ratio. Her rule of thumb is one medium potato and one egg per person, with other ingredients being eye-balled, but because of the size of the russets, we only used three.
3 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 eggs, whisked
1 medium onion, chopped (you can also use both the white and green parts of scallions)
3 tablespoons of olive oil, or more as needed
Fillings: we chopped up 3 small tomatoes but you can also crumble 6 slices of bacon. other possibilities: 1 cup of cooked ham/sausage/chorizo, green or red peppers, mushrooms, or combination of the three
Herbs: we sprinkled fresh basil on top, but you can use thyme, parsley, chives or whatever you have lying around. You can also skip herbs altogether
Cheese: we opted not to use cheese, but you can sprinkle a 1/2 cup of any cheese you like
Spices: we used a 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seed and a dash of paprika, but feel free to experiment
1. Boil the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted water for 10-15 minutes until just cooked (test for doneness). Drain.
2. Heat oil (or bacon fat) in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange cooked potatoes in a layer so that they can brown. Add onion, and saute until onion is soft and potatoes are golden. (if using peppers, add to oil before the potatoes so they have enough time to soften)
3. Add fillings and spices and continue to saute, adding oil if necessary. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, and stir frequently until heated through.
4. Add the eggs, stirring to distribute the eggs among the potatoes and filling. As soon as eggs begin to firm up, remove from heat. Sprinkle herbs on top.
5. If desired, grate cheese on top and cover until melted.
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