Hearty fried potato and mushroom pan with chicory, Gorgonzola and caramelized ham and pecan topping

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 500 g potatoes, mainly waxy
• 300 g mushrooms, brown
• 500 g chicory
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 70 g sweet Gorgonzola
• 150 ml water
• 30 g lard
• 20 g butter
• some parsley for garnishing
• e.g. salt and pepper
• 75 g diced ham
• 25 g pecans
• 25 g dumpling bread
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp thyme, dried
• 20 g butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Peel the potatoes, cut them into medium-sized cubes, and place them in a bowl. Fill the bowl with water and toss the potatoes in it with your fingers to wash out the starch. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Remove the outer leaves from the chicory, briefly rinse the chicory, and cut off the bottom of the stalk. Then halve the chicory lengthwise, cut out the remaining stalk in a wedge shape, and cut the rest crosswise into strips. Peel the onion and slice or grate it into thin strips. Remove the rind from the Gorgonzola and roughly dice it. Quarter the pecans. Drain the potatoes and spread them out in a non-stick pan. Pour enough fresh water into the pan to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat the pan over high heat, bring the water to a boil, and cook the potatoes for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the water has just evaporated. Then add the lard and heat briefly. Now add the mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat slightly, add the onions, and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the chicory and butter to the pan and cook for about 7 minutes over medium heat, stirring or tossing occasionally. Finally, scatter the Gorgonzola cubes over the pan, reduce heat to low and let melt, then remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, in a small pan, fry the diced ham over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Add half of the butter and let it foam. Stir in the pecans, honey, thyme, and soy sauce and let it caramelize for about 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining butter and the dumpling bread to the pan and let it brown for another 2-3 minutes. When serving, sprinkle the crispy topping over the potato and vegetable pan and garnish with some parsley. Notes: The amount of water specified in the recipe for the potatoes at the beginning of cooking is only an approximate amount and does not necessarily need to be adjusted if the portion size changes. The only important thing is that the amount covers the bottom of the pan, but that the potatoes are under water. At the end of the dish, the water should be evaporated within the time specified above, so that the potatoes are only partially cooked and do not fall apart during further frying. If you want more bitter flavors from the chicory in the dish, leave the inner part of the stalk and do not cut it out in a wedge shape. If you don’t have lard or don’t like it, use clarified butter, but only need about half the amount. Or simply increase the amount of butter. The lard makes the dish even more hearty.