Kipper Hash with Tarragon Butter Eggs

Directions

1. Peel and boil the potatoes until just cooked. Drain well and leave to steam for 5 minutes.

2. Using a fork, mash half of the potatoes in a large bowl then add the remaining potatoes, flaked kipper fillets, egg, chilli sauce, onion, garlic, fresh chilli and parsley. Season generously with pepper and mix well. Chill for at least 2 hours. (This can be done the night before if you want to serve it for breakfast / brunch).

3. Preheat the oven to Fan 180°C / 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.

4. Heat a large heavy non-stick frying pan (that can go in the oven) over a medium / high heat. Add half the butter and when the butter is melted and stops foaming, add the hash mixture and cook briskly, stirring, for 30 seconds. Using a spatula, press the mixture down into a cake the size of the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the hash begins to brown on the underside.

5. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, shaking the pan to loosen the hash occasionally, until the underside is browned and crusty, then finish cooking in the oven for 10 minutes.

6. Fry the eggs in the remaining butter according to taste, then sprinkle with chopped tarragon and a dash of tarragon vinegar, salt and pepper.

7. To serve, cut the hash cake into wedges and serve with the fried eggs, spooning any remaining butter over.

8. Inverawe kippers are already split open, with the backbone exposed. Remove the backbone gently by using a knife, starting under the tail to ease the bone upwards towards the head and lift off. Any stray bones can be removed with tweezers.