UITSMIJTER

'Uitsmijter' means 'bouncer' in Dutch. The story goes that this dish used to be served to cafe patrons late at night just before they were kicked out at closing time. It is still a popular breakfast- and lunch dish in the Netherlands. There are plenty of variations, but the most standard version is white bread, ham and eggs, with optional cheese.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

butter

2 slices (lightly toasted) white bread

2 thin slices boiled ham

2 large slices cheese, preferably 'oude kaas' (aged Gouda)

Salt & pepper

Preparation:

Melt some butter in a frying pan and fry the eggs, sunny side up. Once the bottom of the eggs are set, I usually take the pan off the heat, put a lid on it and allow the eggs to steam until the top has firmed up.

Meanwhile feel free to lightly toast the bread. This is optional. Place the slices of bread on a plate (open faced). Top with the cheese, the ham and the fried eggs. Season to taste.

#ned