Pan-fried bacon with poached egg and balsamic tomatoes

There are many things I’m willing to give up when dieting – booze (ouch), chocolate (ok, if I must), crisps (fine, just fine), sweets (oh for f***s sake!), but bacon and eggs isn’t one of them. Pan-fried bacon with poached egg and balsamic tomatoes from the Hairy Dieters is a world away from a traditional British fry-up, but at only 264 calories per serving it’s a pretty good substitute!

I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes, but drizzling balsamic vinegar over them makes them much more edible, in my opinion. As for adding watercress (as the Hairy Dieters suggest) as an accompaniment, no, that just seems like a bridge too far.

Recipe: Pan-fried bacon with poached egg and balsamic tomatoes

Calories: 264 calories per serving

Serves: 2

Book: Hairy Dieters – How to Love Food and Lose Weight

Prep time: Approx 10 minutes

Cooking time: Approx 5 minutes

Ingredients: For the filling:  1 tsp sunflower oil, 4 rashers of rindless smoked back bacon, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 2 large very fresh eggs (fridge cold), 8 cherry tomatoes (halved), good handful of watercress, drizzle of good-quality balsamic vinegar, ground black pepper

Cost per portion: Approx £1.02

Method: Brush a large non-stick frying pan with sunflower oil, using the tip of a pastry brush. Place the pan over a medium heat and add the bacon. Cook for 2 minutes until lightly browned, then turn and dry-fry on the other side for another 3 minutes.

While the bacon is cooking, half fill a medium non-stick saucepan with water, add the vinegar and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low, so the water is only just bubbling.

Crack the eggs into the water, 1 at a time, spacing them well apart. Cook for 2½ minutes. Te eggs should rise to the surface within a minute. If the egg white sticks to the bottom of the pan, lift it gently with a wooden spoon. Alternatively, you can use a hob-top egg poacher, lightly greased with sunflower oil.

Add the tomatoes to the pan with the bacon and season with plenty of black pepper. Cook the tomatoes for about a minute until just beginning to soften, turning them once. Put a small pile of watercress on each plate.

Place some bacon and tomatoes on the plates and drizzle with a dash of balsamic vinegar. Take the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them on top. Season with a little more pepper and tuck in right away while it’s all lovely and hot.