Recipe: Lou Robbie's Sunny Breakfast Feast

I love cooking with seasonal Irish produce because fruit and vegetables grown close to home and picked at their best need very little fuss! Autumn especially is a wonderful time for Irish ingredients, with fresh vegetables, herbs and salad leaves filling our kitchens.

This sunny feast celebrates that freshness with seasonal vegetables, local eggs and cheese, and a vibrant homemade chimichurri made with parsley from my garden. Simple, nourishing and full of flavour, it is cooked in one dish and makes a lovely celebration of what’s in season.

Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

·      500g baby potatoes, sliced into quarters
·      1 tbsp olive oil
·      1 onion, sliced
·      1 courgette, diced
·      150g cherry tomatoes
·      4 eggs
·      80g Irish soft goats' cheese or feta
·      1 tsp dried oregano
·      Salt and freshly ground black pepper
·      To serve: chimichurri sauce, a dollop of beetroot puree and crusty bread

For the chimichurri sauce:

·      25g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 1 cup loosely packed)
·      2-3 garlic cloves, finely grated
·      1 tsp dried oregano
·      ½ tsp red pepper flakes, adjust to taste
·      30ml red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
·      120ml extra virgin olive oil
·      ½ tsp sea salt
·      ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

 
Method

1. Make the chimichurri sauce. Finely chop the parsley. Add the parsley, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to a bowl.  Stir in the red wine vinegar.  Slowly add the olive oil while stirring until the sauce is well combined.  Leave to sit for 15–30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to develop.

2.  Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.

3.  Toss the potatoes, onion and courgette with the olive oil and oregano. Roast for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

4.  Add the tomatoes and make four small wells in the vegetables.

5.  Crack an egg into each well and sprinkle over the goat's cheese or feta.

6.  Return to the oven for 8–10 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

7. Drizzle on the chimichurri and spoon on the beetroot puree if using. Serve with fresh crusty bread. Enjoy!

Our autumn issue is out now in stores nationwide, with Lou Robbie as our wonderful cover star.