Hoppelpoppel

Hoppelpoppel     
Eggs With Bacon, Onions And Potatoes

From what I can see, this dish is Berlin's version of pub food, often served with a salad. I have been making something very similar to this as a breakfast dish for years, and not even realizing it. The next time I get the chance, I'll make it this way.

This is evidently a fairly versatile dish, made with whatever leftover meat might happen to be on hand; the recipe includes notes on making a version with ham, and I see no reason why sausage or even corned beef couldn't be used for breakfast. For a dinner or supper, there are many other possibilities, as well.

In reading up on this, I also noticed that cooking methods are split between slicing the potatoes (as described below) or by dicing or cutting the potatoes into cubes. Finally, I saw it served both as described in the recipe (turned out onto a plate in one, solid "cake"), or as a scrambled "hash."

From Time/Life's Foods of the World - The Cooking of Germany, 1969:

Hoppelpoppel      Eggs With Bacon, Onions And Potatoes To serve 2: 3 medium-sized boiling potatoes (about 1 pound), unpeeled 1.5 cups coarsely diced lean bacon 1/2 cup finely chopped onions 4 eggs 1 tablespoon milk 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper Drop the potatoes into enough lightly-salted boiling water to cover them completely. Boil briskly, uncovered, until the potatoes show only the slightest resistance when pierced with the tip of a small, sharp knife. Be careful not to let them overcook. Meanwhile, in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until brown and crisp. With a slotted spoon transfer the pieces of bacon to a double thickness of paper towels to drain. Pour all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of fat from the skillet, add the onions, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring them frequently, until they are soft and transparent but not brown. Set the skillet aside. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then peel and cut them into 1/4-inch slices. Add them to the onions in the skillet and cook over moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning the potatoes occasionally with a large spatula, until they are light brown. Then, in a small bowl, beat the eggs, milk, parsley, salt and a few grindings of pepper together with a fork until they are well blended. Strew the diced bacon over the potatoes and pour in the eggs. Tip the pan from side to side to spread the eggs evenly and cover the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and cook undisturbed for 5 or 6 minutes, shaking the pan gently every now and then to prevent the eggs from sticking. The Hoppelpoppel is done when the eggs are set, but still slightly moist. To serve, invert a heated serving plate over the skillet and, grasping skillet and plate firmly together, quickly turn them over. Serve at once. NOTE: One cup of finely diced cooked ham may be substituted for the bacon. In that case, melt ¼ cup of lard or bacon fat in the skillet and cook the diced ham and the onions together for 5 minutes. Add the sliced potatoes and proceed with the recipe as described above.

I know, right?!?