A traditional Berlin and northeastern German dish, Hoppel-Poppel is a pan-fried dish of potatoes, eggs, and leftover meat, similar to a farmer's breakfast.
Crisp-edged potatoes, savory bits of meat, and soft curds of egg in every forkful, all carrying the smoky depth of rendered bacon. Rustic, filling, and deeply satisfying.
Frying the potatoes in rendered bacon fat builds a crisp, browned surface, while pouring beaten egg over everything and folding gently binds the mixture into a cohesive, tender scramble.
Variations
With pickles, with mushrooms, sausage-only version, topped with cheese
On the Palate
Where Hoppel-Poppel sits in the German flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 2
How it's made
8 steps · 15 min
- 16 min
Dice cooked potatoes and any leftover meat or sausage into bite-sized pieces.
- 24 min
Render diced bacon in a hot skillet until the fat releases.
Watch outRender the bacon slowly until the fat runs clear and the bits crisp — this rendered fat is what browns and flavours everything after.
- 34 min
Add chopped onion and fry until soft and golden.
- 46 min
Add the potatoes and brown them in the bacon fat.
Watch outSpread the potatoes out and leave them undisturbed to catch a golden crust before tossing — stir too soon and they go soft instead of crisp.
- 53 min
Stir in the leftover meat and heat through.
- 62 min
Beat the eggs with salt and pepper and pour over the skillet.
- 73 min
Gently fold until the eggs are just set and creamy.
Watch outFold the egg gently and take the pan off while it's still glossy and just barely set — carryover heat finishes it, and overcooking dries it to rubber.
- 82 min
Finish with chopped chives and serve straight from the pan.
