The Gypsy Skillet
Feb 15th, 2009 | By Peter Minakis | Category: Bacon, Breakfast, Brunch, Cheese, Eggs, Main, Onions, Pork, Recipes, Sauce, Sausage
One of the new blogs out there in the food scene comes from a gal named 
Mila. Her blog title is “KISS….Keep It Simple Stupid”. I often share her belief that many dishes need not be complicated, too rigid in ingredient approach and allow for personal tastes and preferences to be applied to a recipe.
Mila’s Gypsy Skillet immediately caught my eye because a) I had the ingredients on hand for this behemoth of a breakfast, brunch or dinner otpion b) I was starving (and kinda’ hurting) from the previous night’s festivities and c) I knew this would be delicious!
In Greece, they eat a little different than we do here. Breakfast could be some bread, olives, cheese, jams or honey, a yogurt, fruit and a coffee. The big meal of the day is lunch and then a late evening “lighter” meal is prepped and one the most common dinners is an omelet, say a Strapatsatha.
The Gypsy skillet immediately spoke to my Greek tastes , despite some of the non-Greek ingredients. I’m sure my friends and relatives in Greece would enjoy this. Year by year, Greece’s supermarket shelves expand with an ever diverse array of ethnic and the influx of new ingredients from the rest of Europe and abroad.
Prior to Greece’s entry in the Euro
pean Community, it’s food marketplace was relatively free of imported or foreign foods. With the opening up the European markets, Greece saw an influx of new goods enter their marketplace and this is deeply reflected when one scans the shelves in a Greek supermarket.
Each year that I visit Greece, I see new products on the shelves that weren’t available just lasy year. Another force causing this change is Greece’s ever-increasing immigrant population. Greece is going through some growing pains with respect to this change in their society (approx. 95 % Greek-Orthodox population) but we’re Greeks…we cope, adapt & move on. We remain Greeks. 
I pretty much followed Mila’s cue, my only change here was to reduce the amount of bacon and add some diced Polish Kielbasa into the mix. As for cheese, I shaved some hard Greek Graviera (Greek Gruyere) and then fried up the eggs and set on top of the the medley of veggies.
This is hearty meal, fit for the stretch run of this winter and it’s likely to keep you full for the better part of the day.
Try the Gyspy Skillet out, have a peek at Mila’s blog (tell her Peter sent ya) and never forget…it’s all about delicious food!
The Gypsy Skillet 
4 eggs
1/2 large onion, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, slices
4 rashers of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup diced Polish Kielbasa
2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
1 tsp. smoked paprika
slices of Graviera (or Gruyere cheese)
Salt and Pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
cherry tomatoes for garnish
- In a large skillet, add your bacon over high heat until the fat starts to render. Add your potatoes and stir in to coat and saute for another five minutes (reduce to medium). Now add your onions, peppers and smoked paprika, and stir in and saute for a few more minutes.
- Season with some salt and pepper, place the cover on, reduce to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes or until your diced potato is fork soft. Place your cheese slices over the vegetable mixture, take off direct heat and cover. The residual heat should melt the cheese on top.
- In another skillet or fry pan, add some olive oil and fry your eggs, “sunny side up, over easy”. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
- Plate your meal by serving a good helping of the vegetable mixture onto the plate, carefully place the fried eggs on top and serve with toasted bread. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
© 2009, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
That will cure the biggest of hangovers. It looks incredible. Loving the kielbasa addition.
This is my perfect breakfast. For as much as I love sweets, I am more the savory breakfast type. This looks SO good and the buttery toast on the side…mmm.
Eggs are the perfect thing when you’re hurtin’ from the night before. They do a body good.
I saw her version and yours and am interested in trying this for sure. I’d probably just use all bacon. Good stuff. That’s interesting, too, the way Greeks eat. So different from our habits.
Bring on the “big brekky”! …nothing like a good fry up to start the day!
peter you cooked those eggs EXACTLY how I like ‘em! YUM!
Congrats on getting your own domain and nice template! I think I’ve gotten a weeks worth of cholesterol after last nights dinner, but now you’re making me want this.
Oh, so good! Really droolworthy!
cheers,
Rosa
Nice new look, Peter. Just eyeing the bread toasties to the side of your dish makes me think that they are a product of “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day”, yes? I THANK YOU so much for bringing this to our attention. I investigated after your post on the subject and now I am hooked on this bread…and it is so EASY with great results!!
I love the name “gypsy skillet” and eggs are my favorite for a hangover!
That looks a fantastic breakfast Peter, but I can’t imagine somebody in Greece having a breakfast like this.
I think because they start work very early (usually at 8 o’clock) very few can enjoy a “full” breakfast.
But I believe they’ll prefer this special dish for dinner:)
This is a very hearty breakfast perfect for my weekends.
Peter, I love the new look and feel!
I know that there is much that I have not commented on (your previous posts) but know that I am always reading. I am a really big fan of your work.
Congrats on the new site.
My kinda breakfast! Hey, I made the Piquant Chicken Souvlaki last night for me and the hubby and it was out of this world!! Hubby said it was delicious. The teeny bit of leftovers today were turned into an amazing chicken salad for his lunch for work. It was a great change of pace from “winter food”!
That simple dish looks so flavorful Peter. I would enjoy any time of the day.
Peter, I think that this must has to do with the climate. I remember when visiting England we used to eat the traditional English breakfast with bacon and eggs and baked beans and I loved it. When coming back I tried to eat it but it was impossible. I am sure I’d love this recipe for lunch but never for breakfast.
perfect breakfast to get you ready for work in the fields (or a cretan vendetta)
in my sedentary position, i could have eat just as long as i dont eat until the evening!
Oooh did you save me some for my breakfast??
I’m off to work in half an hour so I just have time to eat it!
Seriously looks delish Peter!
OMG Peter I am beyong flattered that you made my recipe and that you mentioned me in your brand new swanky site! Thanks! I am glad that I am reaching out to people with my recipes!
Kiss, very special blog name. Agree so much, good recipes do not need to be complicated. Hey I would love to try the Greek Gruyere, guess I have to use the Swiss one in replacement since will be tricky to find in Switzerland. Your recipe is making me hungry at 8:30am now.
Wowo so yummy delicious and that egg on top so pefectly done, delicous.
What a breakfast! Wow, it simply rocks!!!(that’s what I hear the teenagers say!!)
Now see this would be supper and dinner for me, I love the colorful veggies sans meat … yummy!
What a great looking breakfast. Could sure go for that right now!!!
Love these kind of breakfasts.. There is nothing better than tossing into eggs just about anything!! New format and site looks incredible!!
what a fun name for such a satisfying, colorful, and appetizing dish. perfect. :)
this looks delicious! I love using paprika with egg dishes.
You have no idea how painful it is to post on an empty stomach while looking at that colossal breakfast.
Calling it ‘yummy’ would be an understatement.
Oh, yum, Peter. The eggs look great — and I love the delicious hash beneath. Some of the best “nontrad” breakfasts at our house look a lot like this one!
Have that for breakfast & it’ll keep you going all day!
Looks like the kind of breakfast to have on a lazy weekend – then lounge around and enjoy the day…
Love your gorgeous new site Peter and the eggs are not bad to look at either. These are the things I used to crave when I was pregnant! Thank god those days are over, but the craving continues. Thanks for the reminder I need to make this again soon. The Hubs will be please, let me tell you!
I could eat that any time of day. It looks FANTASTIC.
Love this idea!
Such great colors and flavors.
You know, when I was visiting Israel, they ate exactly the same as the Greeks.
Greece is totally on my list of places to visit!
That Gypsy Skillet looks dangerously good – and enough to feed 4!!
EGGS!!! EGGS!!! I have such a *thing* for eggs, and I had to restrain myself from hugging the screen when I saw this post. I love the hash-like quality to the base of this recipe, and then topping with eggs and that cheese … well, this is a keeper in my book for sure. YUM!
That looks amazing Peter, be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Yummy!
Wow, I’ve never heard of the ‘gypsy skillet’ – it looks delicious though! Your eggs came out a great shape :)
Ha I feel like I play tag with you from food blog to food blog. But your food is simply gorgeous. This looks really good!
Yum. I love big breakfasts like this (although my waistline begs me not to eat too many of them). I would love to have this for breakfast. Thanks for rec for givign me a new blog to stalk.
Almost makes me wish I had a hangover ;)
Looks amazing, I love this kind of meal.
Love the new look – and this… Eggs for dinner – perfect.
If you need help dusting, let me know!