Tattie Breakfast Stacks
Photo by Mark Weinberg
MAKES
Four servings
TAKES
Prep time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 4 hours 30 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
Tatties, thin, tender Scottish potato scones, are made from a base of cooked potatoes. Tatties are typically round or triangular in shape, and while they are delicious all on their own, I tweaked the shaping for this breakfast dish, inspired by the layers of a Napoleon. After griddling up the rectangular scones, you stack them with sausage, and top with a fried egg.
INGREDIENTS
Lorne Sausage
454 g / 1 pound ground pork
454 g / 1 pound ground beef
50 g / 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
9 g / 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
4 g / 1 ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 g / 1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 g / ¼ teaspoon ground mace (or nutmeg)
1 g / ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
a few pinches of cayenne pepper (optional)
Tatties
454 g / 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and diced
56 g / 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for cooking
150 g / 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
6 g / 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
8 slices Lorne Sausage (see Note)
226 g / 4 large eggs
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
More Baking Fun This Way:
METHOD
1. Make the Lorne sausage: Line a loaf pan with two sheets of crisscrossed plastic wrap—there should be plenty of excess wrap hanging over the edges of the pan on all sides.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Pack the mixture firmly into the prepared pan, then fold the excess plastic wrap over it to encase it. Freezer for at least 2 hours, until firm.
3. When ready to use it, unwrap the frozen sausage and cut it into ½ inch / 1 cm thick slices (rewrap any slices you’re not going to use and return them to the freezer for up to 3 months). Cook the sausage on a griddle or in a large skillet, turning once, until cooked through and lightly crisp on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Make the tatties: Place the potatoes in a medium pot and add water to cover by about 1 inch / 2 ½ cm. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, 10-12 minutes. Drain well.
5. Mash the potatoes—I like to use a ricer for this, but you can use any tool you prefer. Add the butter and mix until fully incorporated.
6. Add the flour and salt and mix just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out and knead a few times until it’s fairly smooth. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (about 145 g each).
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough out into a rectangle about 4 x 9 inch / 10 x 23 cm and about ¼ inch / 6 mm thick. (I don’t trim these, leaving the rolled-out dough more organic but roughly rectangular in shape.) Use a pastry wheel, bench knife, or knife to cut the rectangle crosswise into 3 equal pieces (about 4 x 3 inch / 10 x 8 cm). Transfer to one side of a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Set aside.
8. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat, getting it nice and hot. Add the slices of sausage and cook, turning once, until cooked through and lightly crisp on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Stack the sausage on the other side of the baking sheet.
9. When the sausage is all cooked, start adding the tatties to the fat remaining in the hot pan (if you need to, add some butter at any time to keep the pan lightly greased). Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the tatties, turning once, until deeply golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. While they cook, place a clean kitchen towel on the baking sheet or another sheep. Wrap the cooked tatties in the towel to keep warm while you fry the eggs.
10. If necessary, add a little butter to the griddle and fry your eggs to your preferred doneness (I like a runny yolk myself).
11. To assemble, place one tattie on a plate and top with a slice of sausage, then another tattie, and then another sausage. Finally, place another tattie on top. Finish with the fried eggs and season with salt and pepper. Repeat this process with the remaining tatties, sausage, and eggs to build 4 stacks total. Serve immediately.
NOTES
Lorne sausage is made by packing a mixture of seasoned ground meat into a loaf pan and chilling it so it will keep its rectangular shape as you slice it for cooking.
It’s lightly spiced and boasts classic breakfast sausage flavors. It’s great for many kinds of baking—wrap the sausage in puff pastry and bake, or griddle some slices to make some epic biscuit sandwiches.
But the real reason I love it? You can keep it in your freezer and remove slices as you need them.
This recipe makes about 24 thin slices.
If you don’t feel like making your own sausage, you can use ground breakfast sausage to form patties, or use sliced pieces of scrapple.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
