Miles Collins

How to cook Bratkartoffeln

Mrs Collins is famous for two achievements, giving birth to me and her fried potatoes. My brother might argue the potatoes to be the finer of the two but I shall simply edit any callous comments he might make.

Everyone says their mum is the best cook in the world, even if they don’t mean it. I can honestly say I always enjoyed my mothers cooking, I was brought up to eat what was put in front of me and to be grateful for it, there was no room for spoilt kids in my parents house, no seperate meals because my brother would eat it but I wouldn’t and I thank God for my upbringing.

I was brought up to appreciate what I had, as a boy I loved fishing with my father and brother and especially if my late Uncle joined us. John ‘Jack’ Collins worked on the fish docks, he fought for his country in the jungles of Malaya, he had hands like ham hocks and when we shared tea from his flask I never asked for sugar because you never had sugar in the army, son.

My upbringing was one of affection and encouragement to learn with just the right amount of discipline to make me tow the line. I really believe my love of food comes from my mother and her cooking and from my father’s love of shooting and fishing. We ate very well, German food was a staple and I loved it. Mrs Collins once enrolled at the local college for a Cordon Bleau cookery course somewhere between the late seventies and early eighties, exactly when escapes me but what remains with me to this day is the smell of the pizza crust she learnt to bake and brought home one evening. I swear to God it’s the best I have ever tasted.

Mrs Collins works wonders with potatoes, her potato, egg and parsley salad is unsurpassed whilst her version of bratkartoffeln is probably my favourite side dish ever.

Fried Potatoes in English, Bratkartoffeln in German and Pommes Saute in French is a fantastic dish. Medium sized potatoes are par-boiled in their skins and left to cool near an open window. Peeled when cool enough to handle they are then sliced into half centimetre scallops. Diced cured bacon, German speck or Italian Pancetta is is fried until crisp, diced onion can be added or omitted but what is important is that once the potatoes are added there isn’t too much residual oil in the pan. Bratkartoffeln is best cooked in an almost dry pan to give the potatoes colour and a crisp texture. The potatoes are ready when nicely browned and move around freely in the pan. 

Buy a good quality smoked sausage or pan-fry a nice piece of steak and serve it with a pile of Mrs Collins’ bratkartoffeln. You will need a healthy dollop of mild mustard (go to your local mega store where food plays second fiddle to dvd’s and refrigerators and demand that they stock German mustard) and a nice green salad. I find a crisp, young Riesling to be a perfect foil to the sausage and potatoes or anything else really!