Pumpkin Cream with a Savoury Crumble
Growing up, there was one meal my mom would occasionally make when she would run out of ideas of what to cook. It was simple but brilliant in its simplicity: fried potatoes and eggs. Some grated cheese on top and you had in minutes one of the most comforting dishes to ever exist and that I still make to this day.
Don’t get me wrong, I know fully well this isn’t my family’s invention. And later on, I would come to find that many cultures and countries have their own version of “a carb plus fried eggs” which they deem as the ultimate comfort food.
My grandmother’s version would be mashed potatoes and fried egg. It was genius because you could also use the leftover mash from the day before (making this even faster to assemble) and the creamy yolk would mix in with the potatoes into something absolutely delightful.
I decided to revisit this when realizing I had bought pumpkin with all the best intentions of making it into soup but then didn’t really feel like it anymore. Pumpkin on its own makes for a rather sad and watery mash, so combining it with potatoes was the better choice.
The poached eggs could very easily be fried or even soft boiled instead but I do believe poached eggs to be the best eggs, so I decided to put in the effort in this case.
What I do ask you to not skip over is the savoury “crumble” of bacon, pine nuts, parsley, dried sour cherries (cranberries would work well but this is what I had available) and lemon zest. I won’t lie, I could have eaten it on its own, straight from the pan. You can be very creative with it using whatever fresh herbs, nuts, and dried fruit you have available. Skip the bacon and it becomes a vegetarian dish that’s just as delicious.
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Ingredients (serves 2)
· 4 fresh eggs, from the fridge
For the cream/mash
· 400g floury potatoes, peeled and cubed
· 400g pumpkin flesh, cubed
· 200-300ml milk (this will depend on the final consistency you aim for)
· 1 garlic clove, peeled
· Pinch of nutmeg
· Salt and pepper, to season
For the crumble
· 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
· Zest of one lemon
· Handful of dried sour cherries
· ¼ cup pine nuts
· ½ cup bacon, cubed
· 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
Start by steaming the potatoes, pumpkin, and one garlic clove, peeled. Alternatively, you can cook them in a large pan of boiling water for 30-40 minutes, until fork tender. Drain very well and mash with a potato masher or ricer.
Warm the milk with the nutmeg and pepper and add it in small increments to the mash until you reach the desired consistency (mine ended up on the runnier side so I strongly urge you to go slow and incorporate the liquid well with each addition).
Season with salt to taste.
Make the crumble. In a small frying pan add the cubed bacon and pine nuts. Sauté on a medium heat until golden. In the last few seconds and the garlic slices and cook until lightly golden (be careful here as both pine nuts and garlic have a propensity to burn easily so keep an eye on them and keep stirring).
Separately add to a bowl the finely chopped parsley, dried sour cherries, and lemon zest. Add the warm ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine.
Lastly, poach the eggs. Bring a large pot of water to a very soft boil (almost a simmer). Strain the eggs and add them gently to the water. Cook for a few minutes until they reach the desired doneness (2-3 minutes for runny egg yolks but set whites). Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, sprinkle with flaky salt.
Plate the mash in deep plates or bowls. Top with the eggs and scatter the crumble on top.
Serve with a green salad and enjoy!