The recipe
Cut 400g of small potatoes into discs. You can peel them if you wish, but I don't really see the point if the skins are thin. Pile them in a deep baking dish. Thickly slice or crumble 200g of black pudding and tuck it in among the potatoes. Trickle over four tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 45-60 minutes in an oven at 180C/gas mark 4 until the potatoes are golden and tender and the black pudding toasted. Remove the dish from the oven, break four large eggs on top and return to the oven for a couple minutes or longer, depending on how you like your eggs. Serves 2.
The trick
Keep the slices of potato thin, about the thickness of a £2 coin, which will ensure they cook right the way through. So that the eggs cook neatly, make four small hollows within the potatoes to crack them into, otherwise they will spread untidily.
The twist
Chorizo has become a little ubiquitous, but that doesn't stop it being a perfect alternative for black pudding in this dish. The softer and more crumbly the chorizo, the better. There is no reason why you shouldn't swap the potatoes for parsnips if you wish, though I would be tempted to introduce a little butter with the oil.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk. Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater