Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Baskets

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese baskets filled with Speck, Potatoes & A Poached Egg. I have to thank my friend Thomas for this wonderful recipe. He lives in Italy and works in quality control for Parmigiano-Reggiano, it's like he has my dream job, working with cheese, all day, everyday. This is a cool recipe that should wow your guests because the basket is made out of cheese!

PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO CHEESE BASKETS WITH SPECK, POTATOES AND A POACHED EGG

Recipe by: Mark Calaminici | Food Loves Company

Makes 4 baskets

Ingredients

400g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

150g Speck, cut into thin strips (subs: prosciutto, pancetta, bacon)

500g Potatoes, peeled (optional)

¼ cup butter

Salt, to taste

Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

10g fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp white vinegar

4 eggs

Method

1. In a hot pan (10 inch preferred) on medium to high heat add your grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and heat until the cheese starts to melt, bubble and brown. Remove from the heat and let cool until you can remove and lift with a spatula. From here you can add to a muffin tin, or place over a glass or mould into a basket. Set aside to let cool and set. From here the cheese basket will become crisp.

2. In a hot pan on medium to high heat, add speck and cook. Once done to your desired crispness, set aside but do not drain the fat, keep it in the pan.

3. In a pot add your potatoes and fill with water a couple inches above potatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. Drain and cut potatoes into small chunks and set aside.

4. In the same pan that you cooked the speck, add butter and potatoes. Saute the potatoes to your preferred browning. Add speck, parsley and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Mix well.

5. Break a cold egg into a small saucer or ramekin. Fill a small pot with water and heat until water simmers gently. Add white vinegar and gently stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool, this will help the egg white wrap around the yolk. Gently slip egg into water. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until egg whites are set. Remove egg with slotted spoon and drain well.

6. Fill your baskets with the potato mixture and place the poached egg on top. Garnish with more parsley or grated cheese. Enjoy!

Until next time, ciao!