The dish bears the name of Colonel Artemio Gramajo, a 19th-century aide to General Roca known for his appetite. The story goes that, hungry and impatient, he had a cook throw together whatever was on hand—fried potatoes, ham and eggs—creating a quick scramble that became a fixture of Porteño cafes.
Creamy soft eggs cling to salty threads of ham while the fried potatoes snap and then go pleasantly chewy as they soak up the egg. Sweet peas pop here and there. It is humble and savoury, somewhere between a luxurious scramble and a guilty late-night plate.
Frying the potatoes separately keeps them crisp until they meet the eggs, and pulling the eggs off heat while still loose lets residual warmth finish them into a soft, creamy curd.
Variations
With sauteed onion, with peppers, fish or shrimp instead of ham, topped with extra fried potatoes, with a splash of cream
On the Palate
Where Revuelto Gramajo sits in the Argentinian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 16 min
Cut potatoes into very thin matchsticks and rinse off the starch, then pat dry.
- 26 min
Deep-fry the potato sticks until golden and crisp, then drain on paper.
Watch outFry the potato sticks until golden and crisp, then drain hard — any limp, oily ones will go soggy the moment they meet the eggs and lose the whole point of the dish.
- 33 min
Cut ham into thin strips and lightly saute in a little butter.
- 42 min
Add cooked peas to the ham and warm through.
- 52 min
Beat the eggs and pour into the pan, stirring gently over low heat.
Watch outStir the eggs gently over low heat and watch for soft, glossy curds forming — the second they look barely wet-set, they're close; high heat turns them rubbery.
- 61 min
Just before the eggs fully set, fold in most of the crisp potatoes.
- 71 min
Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat while still creamy.
Watch outKill the heat while the eggs are still creamy and just-loose — carryover warmth finishes them, so plating dry means you cooked them a beat too long.
- 81 min
Pile onto plates and scatter the reserved potatoes on top.
