June 28, 2021

Let’s Make An Amazing Giant Spicy Potato Nest & Eggs!

June 28, 2011. Sunny summer day. Giant Spicy Potatoes Nest & Eggs.

I love the combination of potatoes with eggs and this is one of the recipes that I’ve been obsessing over for the past few weeks. The inspiration recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi’s website and I have made around 5 variations of this dish in May. It’s an unusual combination of bold, global flavors and style that really appealed to me. The recipe is good for anytime of the day – a hearty breakfast, a tasty brunch, a lighter dinner or whenever you are feeling peckish. This particular version is my favorite and I decided it was time to write it up and share.

It’s a relatively easy recipe using matchstick potatoes – I used sweet potatoes and russet potatoes to make a giant rösti or latke or a potato pancake. My hubby calls it a potato nest, and then you crack eggs on top of the potatoes to complete the dish. Yes, it’s that simple. The thing that makes this truly stand out is the use of Korean spicy gochujang paste and Japanese creamy white Miso paste to season the potatoes. Then, fresh squeezed lime juice (together with the special sauce) is used to brighten up the entire dish at the end. This giant spicy potato nest pancake with eggs is such a fun dish to make and eat.

Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

Potato Nest and Eggs

1 Tbsp olive oil (for greasing pan)
2 large Russet Potatoes peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 large Sweet Potato peeled and cut into matchsticks
salt & black pepper to taste
I Tbsp gochujang paste (Korean red pepper paste)
1 Tbsp white miso paste (Japanese fermented bean paste)
5 garlic cloves minced finely
9 large eggs, room temperature
2 limes cut into wedges for serving

Sauce
2 Tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
Juice from 2 limes
1 tsp gochujang paste
1 tsp honey
2 stalks green onions scallions
1 tsp black sesame, toasted
1 tsp white sesame, toasted
1/2 tsp ichimi togarashi (Japanese dry chili powder) or chilli flakes, optional
cilantro for garnish, optional

You will also need an oven safe 10″ saute pan with cover as well as a kitchen mandoline slicer or very sharp kitchen knife to prep the potatoes.

Making the Amazing Spicy Potato Nest and Eggs

Let’s start by heating the oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly coat the oven proof pan with olive oil and put into oven to preheat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Coat pan with oil before putting into preheated oven — 10″ pan

First put the matchstick potatoes into a large bowl. Lightly sprinkle with salt to taste (approx. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon). Mix the gochujang, miso, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the bed of potatoes and mix well so that all the potatoes are well coated.

Prepping the potatoes — Peel and cut the potatoes into matchsticks

Peel and cut the potatoes into matchsticks

Remove heated pan from the oven – be careful, it will be hot. Place on a trivet. Pour the seasoned potatoes into the hot pan. Carefully spread out the potatoes evenly across the pan. You will hear the potatoes sizzling on the hot pan. Return the pan to oven and bake for 25 to 28 minutes until the top is lightly brown and crispy.

Spread potatoes evenly across the hot pan

Preparing the Sauce

While the giant potato nest is baking in the oven, let’s prepare the sauce. Mix the freshly squeezed lime juice with olive oil, honey, chopped scallions, gochujang, and the the two types of sesame seeds. Stir well to combine.

Assembling and Serving Spicy Potato Nest and Eggs

When the potato nest is ready, remove from oven. Using the back of a spoon, make 9 indentations in the potato nest. Crack an egg into each indentation. Cover the pan with the lid and return the entire thing to the oven. Bake for another 8 minutes or until the whites are opaque. The yolk will still be runny (like an Eggs Benedict).

After eight minutes, remove from the oven. Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly on eggs. Spoon on the sauce onto the potatoes and around the eggs. Serve immediately with lime wedges and optional ichimi togarashi (dried chili flakes or cayenne) and cilantro. This bold flavored dish tastes lovely served with a contrasting crunchy fresh green salad (arugula, romaine, etc) or sliced cucumbers. Bon Appetit!

Making the sauce for Spicy Potatoes Nest and Eggs — Give the sauce another stir before generously spooning around the eggs onto the potatoes

Notes:

I was curious what other types of pancakes are popular around the world beside the usual ones we make with wheat flour. I found these 2 short articles that listed out various types of pancakes from around the world => https://www.spar.co.uk/there-for-you/different-types-of-pancakes-around-the-world

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tashweenali/pancakes-from-around-the-world

Besides the more well known ones like French crepes, Korean Jeons and Russian Blinis, there are also Indonesian Serabi made with rice flour and coconut milk, Iris Boxty a sort of pancake hash brown combo, South Africa’s crepe-like Pannekoeke filled with cinnamon custard, Italian Crespelle made from chestnut flour, and Finnish Pannukakka which sounds like a variation on the English Yorkshire pudding. I’ll be adding a few of these delicious recipes to my list of things to make!

Which one will you be making?

Giant Spicy Potato Nest and Eggs

Jessica Lai Perez

Matchstick russet potatoes and sweet potatoes flavored with umami rich spicy Korean red pepper paste and Japanese miso bean paste baked into a giant potato pancake topped with eggs to make a delicious and satisfying meal. A fab upgrade to your brunch menu! Lightly adapted from the master of global flavors, Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe.

#fabfoodflavors

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Course Breakfast, Brunch, dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Asian, Global

Servings 4 large servings

Equipment

Oven safe 10" pan with cover
Kitchen mandoline slicer or very sharp kitchen knife

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil (for greasing pan)
2 large Russet Potatoes peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 large Sweet Potato peeled and cut into matchsticks
salt & black pepper to taste
I Tbsp gochujang paste (Korean red pepper paste)
1 Tbsp white miso paste (Japanese fermented bean paste)
5 garlic cloves minced finely
9 large eggs, room temperature
2 limes cut into wedges for serving

Sauce

2 Tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
2 juice from lime squeezed
1 tsp gochujang paste
1 tsp honey
2 stalks green onions scallions
1 tsp black sesame toasted
1 tsp white sesame toasted
1/2 tsp ichimi togarashi (Japanese dry chili powder) optional
cilantro for garnish optional

Instructions

Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly coat the oven proof pan with olive oil and put into oven to preheat for 5 to 10 minute.
Prep the potatoes and put into a large bowl. Lightly sprinkle with salt to taste (approx. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon). Mix the gochujang, miso, and garlic in a small bowl. Add to the potatoes. Pour the mixture into the bed of potatoes and mix well so that all the potatoes are well coated.
Remove heated pan from the oven – be careful, it will be hot. Place on a trivet. Pour the seasoned potatoes into the hot pan. Carefully spread out the potatoes evenly across the pan. You will hear the potatoes sizzling on the hot pan. Return the pan to oven and bake for 25 to 28 minutes until the top is lightly brown and crispy.
As the pancake is cooking in the oven, start making the sauce. Mix the fresh squeeze lime juice with olive oil, honey, chopped scallions, gochujang, and the two types of sesame seeds. Stir well to combine.
When the potatoes pancake is ready, remove from oven. Using the back of a spoon, make 9 indentations wells into the potatoes. Crack an egg into each indentation. Cover the pan with the lid and return the entire thing in the oven. Bake for another 8 minutes or until the whites are opaque. The yolk will still be runny (like an Eggs Benedict).
When ready, remove the entire pan from oven. Carefully open the lid and sprinkle salt and pepper lightly on eggs. Spoon on the sauce around the eggs onto the potatoes. Serve immediately with lime wedges and optional ichimi togarashi and cilantro.