This past weekend we were lucky enough to be invited to a large, estate-like ranch in Ojai, CA where we were inspired to cook for many people, with a variety of culinary agendas and a wealth of fresh ingredients. The result was this simple, energizing and satisfying brunch-in-the-garden:
We made this on both Saturday and Sunday, so it was apparently very popular with our group. The below recipe serves 4-6. You’ll need 2 lbs red potatoes, 1 large bunch of black kale, one bunch of spring onions, 1-2 packages smoked salmon, eggs, lemon (for juice), fresh rosemary, sea salt, pepper, paprika, butter and olive oil.
Chop 2 lbs of red potatoes into small pieces and part-boil for 6-7 minutes.
Remove the stems and coarsely chop one large bunch of black (or large leave) kale.
Once the potatoes are part-boiled, strain out the water and heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbs butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chopped spring onion and some seas salt – toss for about a minute. Add part-cooked potatoes, toss, again, to season over heat, then add 1 tsp paprika and 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, and some ground pepper, to taste. Cook until browned over medium heat, uncovered – 10-15 mins. Add more butter, one tablespoon at a time, to ensure the potatoes brown, not burn.
Meantime, heat about 2″ of water in a high-sided skillet until boiling. Then reduce the heat immediately to a simmer. Add sea salt and lemon juice to the water and keep warm, but not boiling.
When the potatoes are near done, heat 2 Tbs olive oil and some sea salt in (yet another) skillet over medium heat. Add chopped kale and quickly toss, repeatedly, until the kale is soft and bright green – 5-8 mins. Reduce heat to very low, just to keep the kale from getting too crispy, then…
add eggs (x2 per person) to the seasoned almost-boiling water. Swirl the water slightly just to keep the eggs from spreading out too far. Cook up to 4 at a time. Poach the eggs for 4-5 mins until the whites are pure white but the yolks are still soft.
Plate putting a bead of kale first, topped with smoked salmon then, using a slotted spoon or spatula, the eggs on top. Sprinkle some finely chopped rosemary (or even dill) and pepper to taste. Hash-browned potatoes on the side.
Toast and coffee are optional for those trying to avoid carbs and caffeine.
Dinner at Our Place 