22 January 2012

EGG AND CHIPS

In France you can get really nice chips.  Lovely, skinny crispy chips, slightly salted.  If I haven’t had chips by the end of a week in France I start to get chip deprivation syndrome.  Which is strange, because I rarely eat chips at home in the UK.

chips1New Year’s Eve in Loches.

Such was the case on New Year’s Eve.  We were looking forward to a nice dinner with our friends Chris and Gail in the evening so we went to Loches to catch the last hour or so of the market and grab a light lunch.  What I really wanted was chips.

chips4A stairway to heaven the château lunch.

After a browse round the market on what was really quite a dull and dismal day, we went in search of lunch.  Lots of restaurants were closed for annual holidays and we really didn’t fancy the menu at most of the ones that were open.  Then we spotted this place.

chips9 An oasis in a desert of closed or fancy restaurants.

It had a board outside advertising various snacks.  One of them was hamburger and chips.  Another was a “Texan plate” which included “oeufs en plat”.  As well as chips, the French do fried eggs really well.

chips7 Nick’s light lunch.  ‘amburger and chips.

So in we went and Nick ordered hamburger and chips.  I politely asked the waitress if it might be at all possible just to have oeufs en plat avec frites.  She thought it would but said she would check with the chef, who happened to be sitting at the next table enjoying a break.  “Oui, tout est possible!”  was the reply.

chips6 A little bit of heaven on a plate.

She asked me if I wanted three or four eggs.  I was thinking of two but agreed on three.  In the end she brought me four because they were small eggs.

I have eaten “oeufs en plat” all over France and never yet been disappointed.  One may argue that it is a dish that is difficult to get wrong but I would disagree – under or over-cooked eggs are not nice, no matter how good the chips.

These were perfect and exactly what I needed.  A light lunch…….until they brought the obligatory dessert of apple crumble afterwards……oh well, it’s only New Year once a year !!

chips8There is no reason to put this picture in other than I really like pink.

16 comments:

  1. I love the way 3 eggs is considered no more than a light entrée here.

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  2. I haven't eaten a fried egg for years, (odd when I keep chooks come to think of it) but seeing your photographs really made me want one.

    Have you noticed that all food in France has got to come with salade?

    SP

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  3. Susan - it was a revelation and a joy !!

    SP - indeed, but one doesn't have to eat it !!
    Mind you, if one does, one feels less guilty about the four eggs - a balanced meal !!

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  4. Strange you should have come up with this post now. We seldom have egg and chips and that is just what we had here at home yesterday for lunch. I have an electric deep fryer which does a fantastic job of chips. We did also have some bacon, well the French kind of bacon!! We did not though have salad! Diane

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  5. When I was young we used to have egg and chips every week or so. It was usually on a Thursday, as pay day was on a Friday ...

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  6. Yum! Small eggs? They don't look that small to me.

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  7. What great pictures and the food looks delicious. Haven't had good burgers out in Sevilla yet. Now I'm in the mood.

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  8. Yes, I agree -- the French do outstandingly good frites -- I love them the Belgian way -- with mayonaise! I do, however, find the French habit of frying an egg on top of a pizza just too bizarre... My husband says it's actually quite good -- but it does not appeal to me at all!!

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  9. I've never had eggs and fries together, but they look so good. Actually, it's been ages since I've had a fried egg. These are great photos.

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  10. Dear Jean,
    Like Rubye Jack, I thought your photographs, especially of the steps were great. Thanks for sharing them.

    Those fries made me hungry!

    Peace.

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  11. Egg and chips! My fav. Always cook them when I am having an 'off day' with the kitchen. Haven't had them at a restaurant though, but your plate looked heavenly, and those eggs done to perfection. Heavenly! I bet you enjoyed every delicious mouthful!
    By the way, have appreciated your comments about blog probs.

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  12. Eggs on Pizza... there is an Italian restaurant in York [and a branch in Leeds, too] called Bibi's and their simplest Pizza Margerita has an egg in the middle... I think it might be an italian home-cook recipe... no meat, just pasta, tomato puree, mozzerella and an egg. I used to cut the edges off the piza an use them as dippers.
    And I agree with The Broad about Belgian frites and mayo.
    Most UK chips are only cooked the once... hence the sogginess by the time you get home. Belgian and French frites are cooked TWICE... which is what gives them the crisp outer.
    Some of the best chips in the UK are the 'early-doors' evening ones... which are the left over lunchtime chips given a quick belt back in the fat to heat them up again... yummy!
    And chips cooked in oil need to be done twice, regardless, as the cooking temperature is lower than lard.

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  13. Diane - the salad was obligatory, I'm never sure about the combination of lettuce and fried eggs!

    Gaynor - same here. Something with chips on Thursday, usually eggs or sausages. Fish on Friday because that's the day the fish van came round.

    N&A - that's what I thought, but it would have been rude not to eat them all !!

    Mitch - you get good burgers in France, so long as you don't like them too well done.

    Broad - I love mayo on chips too.

    Ruby Jack - it's a delicious combination.

    Dee - thanks and the smell of chips, or even the thought of them, makes me ravenous.

    Vera - they were scrummy.

    Tim - I always wondered why the chips tasted better if you were first in the queue. And the pizzeria at Ligeuil does pizza with egg on top, uncooked, though, which is definitely and acquired taste.

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  14. looks like york!!!
    French chips....... wonderful x

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  15. Gosh, Jean, four eggs??! Mind you they do look delicious and I agree about French chips. Lovely photos as always.

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