British Fry Up.Julie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
During the late days of December, when sunlight is scarce, schools are closed and mornings (hopefully) unrushed, it’s a good time to linger over the first meal of the day. After a season of sweets, something savoury might be in order – and a quick, simple breakfast fry-up makes use of any number of ingredients you happen to have in your fridge.
According to the English Breakfast Society, the classic British fry-up can be traced back centuries, to the days of the gentry – genteel landowners of a privileged social class who were famous for their extravagant morning feasts, often served to fuel up before a hunt. The Victorian and Edwardian eras brought leisurely breakfasts to the masses, and the traditional morning meal became something of a national dish – a delicious mess of bacon and eggs, sausages, baked beans, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, often with black pudding or bubble and squeak, and toast on the side.
But there are no parameters around what you can toss into a skillet and call breakfast. You may not have black pudding on hand, but there are the winter veggies, pulses, roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, halloumi, avocados, veggie balls from IKEA – all kinds of leftovers you’ve accumulated in the fridge over the holidays. A breakfast fry-up is like a modern-day bowl, warmed through, with crispy bits. All you need is a big skillet.
Recipe: A big winter fry-up
All the ingredients (and quantities) here are flexible – feel free to toss whatever you like into your skillet, in quantities dictated by your appetite and the number of mouths to feed. Fried potatoes and hash browns are more of an American breakfast staple, considered by many in the U.K. to be an unnecessary filler. Using leftover baked or roasted potatoes or other veggies is an excellent starting point, but you can always start them raw or kick-start them in the microwave.
Vegetable oil, for cooking
Potatoes (any kind, preferably leftover baked, roasted or boiled), diced
Small sausages (meat or plant-based), bacon or veggie balls
Fresh or cooked veggies, such as Brussels sprouts
Mushrooms, washed and quartered
Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Eggs
Butter (optional, but tasty)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Baked beans, warmed
Buttered toast
Chili oil or sriracha, for serving
Pull out a skillet a little bigger than you think you’ll need. Set it over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of oil. Cook any sturdier raw veggies, including potatoes, along with sausages or bacon, until they’re cooked through. Add mushrooms to the pan if you’re using them and halved Roma tomatoes, cut-side down. When all the veggies are cooked to your liking, either push them aside or remove them from the pan, add a bit more oil or butter and fry as many eggs as you like, cooking them to your liking.
Serve your fry-up on individual plates or a platter, family-style, with baked beans and buttered toast, plus chili oil or sriracha for serving. Feeds as many as you like.