The English Breakfast Tortilla

PreparationMilton's method Wash and boil the sliced potatoes in salted water for about four minutes until they are slightly softened but still firm. Drain them and set aside. In a medium-sized, non-stick, ovenproof frying pan (no plastic handle!) heat a little oil, and fry the bacon and sausages over medium-high heat for about six or seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients begin to turn crispy and take on a golden brown color. Add the mushrooms, along with the potatoes, stirring them in carefully so that the potatoes don't break up. Fry for another four minutes or so, until the potatoes start to golden. Add the onion, fry for a couple more minutes and then add the sweet pepper, sweet paprika and thyme leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let everything cook for another two minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed, then reduce the heat to low-medium and pour in the eggs, tilting the pan and moving the ingredients around gently with a wooden spoon so the egg mixture reaches all corners of the pan. Leave it to cook gently for about six minutes or until the egg in contact with the base of the pan has set (you should then be able lift the tortilla away from the sides of the pan and slide it around). Put the pan in a pre-heated broiler for five minutes until the egg on top has set. Cut in half and serve with buttered toast and condiments of your choice; I like to have a couple of pickled chilis with this. If you're not quite up to cooking for yourself the hearty meal that you so evidently need, then I suggest you head to a British pub—dangerous territory, perhaps—for a savory meat pie. A pie is exactly the kind of food that most people won't want to cook when they are hungover, particularly if it involves making pastry from scratch. Most British pubs, though, will serve some sort of pastry concoction that will keep the hunger away for a few hours and may even persuade you that more alcohol is in order (please see disclaimers absolving this author of all responsibility for your mental and physical well-being). Have mashed potato with your pie in order to fulfil your stodge quotient. Some authors might recommend a mixed grill for this type of hangover, but in my experience overindulgence in meat (particularly that of dubious quality) can be, for all kinds of reasons, a serious mistake. Reprinted with permission from The Hungover Coobkook by Milton Crawford. Copyright © 2011 by Milton Crawford. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Amateur chef, professional boozer, poet, traveler and essayist, Milton Crawford is also a fantastic drinker. He describes drinking as one of his true talents in life. He states that "seven days without a drink makes one weak." He once said that a hangover is like being crucified—it offers ordinary mortals the chance of resurrection on a daily basis. His Politics are libertarian (to say the least). His heroes are people who found the palace of wisdom via the road of excess, to paraphrase William Blake. They include Tolstoy and Buddha. His ambition is to survive for long enough to become a similarly wise man in his old age as these two grand ex-debauchees. When he's not drunk, Milton reads, writes, cooks, travels and swims. He has a cat and occasionally lives in London because it's "good for his career".

PreparationMilton's method Wash and boil the sliced potatoes in salted water for about four minutes until they are slightly softened but still firm. Drain them and set aside. In a medium-sized, non-stick, ovenproof frying pan (no plastic handle!) heat a little oil, and fry the bacon and sausages over medium-high heat for about six or seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients begin to turn crispy and take on a golden brown color. Add the mushrooms, along with the potatoes, stirring them in carefully so that the potatoes don't break up. Fry for another four minutes or so, until the potatoes start to golden. Add the onion, fry for a couple more minutes and then add the sweet pepper, sweet paprika and thyme leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let everything cook for another two minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed, then reduce the heat to low-medium and pour in the eggs, tilting the pan and moving the ingredients around gently with a wooden spoon so the egg mixture reaches all corners of the pan. Leave it to cook gently for about six minutes or until the egg in contact with the base of the pan has set (you should then be able lift the tortilla away from the sides of the pan and slide it around). Put the pan in a pre-heated broiler for five minutes until the egg on top has set. Cut in half and serve with buttered toast and condiments of your choice; I like to have a couple of pickled chilis with this. If you're not quite up to cooking for yourself the hearty meal that you so evidently need, then I suggest you head to a British pub—dangerous territory, perhaps—for a savory meat pie. A pie is exactly the kind of food that most people won't want to cook when they are hungover, particularly if it involves making pastry from scratch. Most British pubs, though, will serve some sort of pastry concoction that will keep the hunger away for a few hours and may even persuade you that more alcohol is in order (please see disclaimers absolving this author of all responsibility for your mental and physical well-being). Have mashed potato with your pie in order to fulfil your stodge quotient. Some authors might recommend a mixed grill for this type of hangover, but in my experience overindulgence in meat (particularly that of dubious quality) can be, for all kinds of reasons, a serious mistake. Reprinted with permission from The Hungover Coobkook by Milton Crawford. Copyright © 2011 by Milton Crawford. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Amateur chef, professional boozer, poet, traveler and essayist, Milton Crawford is also a fantastic drinker. He describes drinking as one of his true talents in life. He states that "seven days without a drink makes one weak." He once said that a hangover is like being crucified—it offers ordinary mortals the chance of resurrection on a daily basis. His Politics are libertarian (to say the least). His heroes are people who found the palace of wisdom via the road of excess, to paraphrase William Blake. They include Tolstoy and Buddha. His ambition is to survive for long enough to become a similarly wise man in his old age as these two grand ex-debauchees. When he's not drunk, Milton reads, writes, cooks, travels and swims. He has a cat and occasionally lives in London because it's "good for his career".