Huevos estrellados
(Madrid-style eggs and potatoes with ham)
Heuvos estrellados is a classic Spanish recipe that uses just 5 ingredients: Eggs, potatoes, olive oil, salt, and ham. In the culinary capital of Spain, Madrid, you’ll find this super easy-to-make recipe served as a tapas day or night. Come the winter months, this is the perfect recipe to cook up for comfort food and best of all can be easily made in under 30 minutes!
Easy Recipe | Tapas Recipe | Eggs and Ham Recipe | Madrid Recipe | Vegetarian Option | Authentic Spanish Recipe | Made in Under 30 Minutes
Serving:
Tapas for 4 people
Ready in:
30 minutes
Skill level:
Easy
Serve with:
Good on its own!
What you’ll need to make huevos estrellados
- Eggs
- Potatoes
- Olive oil (or veggie oil is OK)
- Good quality Jamon Iberico (or serrano ham is ok)
- Salt
Equipment needed
- 1 large 12-inch/30cm frying pan
- 1 large colander (for draining the potatoes)
What is huevos estrellados?
Huevos estrellados (also known as ‘huevos rotos’) is a classic Spanish tapas dish made with scalloped potatoes and topped with jamon and pan-fried eggs in olive oil. Huevos estrellados is particularly popular in Spain’s capital, Madrid, where it is most commonly served with french fries and the eggs lightly fried with a runny yolk.
Depending on where you sample huevos estrellados, serrano ham, or even thin slices of Jamon Iberico are used. No matter where you try this famous tapas dish, it is always served piping hot immediately after plating.
Why huevos estrellados is so good!
The beauty of this classic tapas staple is in it’s simplicity. There’s no need for any fancy equipment, nor do you need to rummage around town trying to find ingredients. To make huevos estrellados, all you need is:
- Eggs
- Potatoes
- Ham
- Olive oil
- Salt
With just a few simple ingredients, this easy-to-make tapas dish is the ultimate comfort food and can be served at any time of the day. In fact, heuvos estrellados are the perfect lazy dinner, easy lunch, or even tasty breakfast that can be whipped up in under 30 minutes!
What’s the difference between huevos rotos and huevos estrellados?
Both dishes are tapas dishes that use potatoes with ham and fried eggs. The main difference between the two is how the potatoes are prepared.
Huevos rotos is often prepared using scalloped potatoes that are pan-fried in the same manner as you would make a tortilla Española (in a frying pan with lots of olive oil).
Huevos estrellados is a classic Madrid tapas and is most commonly found served with french fries, although this does vary from one tapas restaurant to the next. Every household in Spain will have its own take on what is the best huevos estrellados recipe!
For this recipe, we will use scalloped potatoes, however, you could easily substitute scalloped potatoes with pre-made frozen french fries and deep fry them yourself.
Can huevos estrellados be made vegetarian?
Good news my veggie-loving friends, this recipe can be easily adapted to suit vegetarian diets by omitting the ham. Substitute ham with some fried mushrooms and you’re good to go.
Huevos estrellados (Madrid-style eggs and potatoes)
Equipment
- 1 large 12-inch (30cm) frying pan with deep sides of around 2-3 inches (5-8cm)
- 1 colander (to drain the oil from the potatoes)
Ingredients
- 4 eggs free range eggs at room temperature is best
- 2 large potatoes
- 100 g/3.5oz. of good quality ham Jamon Iberico or serrano hamare both good options
- 150 ml of extra virgin olive oil enough to cover your potatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Step 1 - Prepare the potatoes
- First, peel and scallop your potatoes. Try to make the scallops around 1/8th of an inch thick (5mm).2 large potatoes
- Next, heat up the olive oil in the frying pan on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), carefully add the scalloped potatoes and make sure the potatoes are covered with oil so they cook evenly. Pan-fry for around 10-15 minutes on medium-high heat turning the potatoes occasionally (carefully fold so they don’t break up).150 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 2 large potatoes
- Once cooked, strain off the excess oil by adding them to a colander with a bowl below. Then, transfer the potatoes to your final serving plate or bowl.
Step 2- Add ham and eggs
- Next, with the same pan you used to cook the potatoes (there should be plenty of oil in there already), turn the heat to medium, and pan-fry the eggs for a few moments. Try to keep the yolk slightly runny.4 eggs
- Add a layer of ham to your potatoes.100 g/3.5oz. of good quality ham
- Once the eggs are cooked, transfer them on top of the ham and season with a bit of salt to taste. Serve immediately while still piping hot.Salt and pepper to taste
Video
Nutrition
Huevos estrellados cooking Tips and FAQs
Is huevos estrallados easy to make?
Yep, super easy! No special cooking skills are required and this recipe is perfect for beginners in the kitchen. Some care is required with pan-frying the potatoes and transferring the oil but that’s about as tricky as this recipe gets.
How long do huevos estrellados take to make?
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 15-20 minutes
- Total time: 25 minutes
Can huevos estrellados be made vegetarian?
Yes, simply omit the ham and replace it with some cooked mushrooms and you’ve got a quick and easy tapas or meal that’s suitable for vegetarians.
What’s the difference between huevos estrellados and huevos rotos?
Both dishes are classic Spanish tapas recipes that use potatoes, eggs, and ham. The main difference is huevos estrellados typically uses French fries when served in Madrid.
‘Huevos Rotos’ literally translates to broken eggs, and a more scrambled egg cooking method is used giving the dish its namesake. When serving huevos estrellados, you also pan-fry the eggs and keep the yolk runny so the yolk can be broken once served.
Can leftover huevos estrallados be stored?
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a maximum of 24 hours. Given the use of eggs in this recipe, any longer may be risky. The potatoes will go soggy though, so this dish is really best served fresh.
Looking for some more tasty tapas recipes?
Spanish Chorizo Cooked in Cider
Tapas in 20 minutes!
Gambas al ajillo
Sizzling Spanish garlic shrimp
Spicy Patatas Bravas
Super easy Spanish tapas recipe (Vegan)
5-minute Pan con Tomate
Spanish tomato bread | Vegan
Spinach with Chickpeas (Vegan recipe)
Espinacas con garbanzos
Tortilla Española
Spanish Omelet with caramelized onion
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