Oh lucky me… My Renaissance Man has been busy in the kitchen this past weekend (he made such a delicious breakfast), and I even convinced him to write a post for me. This might resonate with a few guys out there, so pass this on to the men in your life. Enjoy!

Mother’s Day — easily the most challenging holiday for the American male.  You have a mother, your wife has a mother, and she is a mother.  That’s three chances for you to screw things up.  And if your kids are young, it’s all on you, buddy.

As if I need extra pressure, Spanish pop singer Enrique Iglesias just liked the photo of French cheese my food-blogging wife posted on Instagram (I am not making this up).  But I am prepared.  Armed with a recipe from Food and Wine, I braved Whole Foods the day before a national holiday, and everything I need for the best Mother’s Day brunch ever is stocked in the fridge.

Amazingly, Food and Wine suggests serving this with toast.  Dry toast, those people are dry toast.  Even a huero like me knows this dish calls for tortillas, warmed for 30 seconds on the griddle.  It also calls for some really good salsa, a drop of sour cream / plain yogurt and a side of fresh mango.  That’s how you turn Mother’s Day into mamacita day!  Enrique would really like that.

A bonus Mother’s Day tip.  Let’s be honest, on days like this, you’re under some pressure to pull off the breakfast-in-bed thing, and it can be a little daunting.  How are you supposed to serve a decent breakfast in someone’s bed?  There’s never enough room, and the potential for catastrophic mess is high.  And truth be told, the whole thing makes your wife a little nervous too.  So instead, I just brought a tray of tea, yogurt and fresh juice to kick things off.  This being Mother’s Day, she also got a new Ottolenghi cookbook, which won me an hour (at least) to set up a proper brunch while mamma sipped her tea and read in peace.  Probably her best gift of the day.

Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Potatoes

recipe adapted by David Kunstle from Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 1 and 1/2 lbs. fresh chorizo, casings removed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6-8 large eggs (Dave used 6)
• Fresh tortillas, fresh cilantro leaves, a good salsa (we love a nice adobo), and some sour cream or plain yogurt, and fresh lime wedges — “the accoutrements,” as Dave says.

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Quarter the potatoes, put them in a large pot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook over moderate heat until tender, about 20 minutes or so. Drain and let cool. Cut the quartered potatoes into 3/4 inch pieces.
2. Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or heavy stainless steel will do). Add the chorizo, break it into chunks with a wooden spoon and cook over moderate heat, turning until cooked through and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape the chorizo mixture into a bowl.
3. Heat the oil in the skillet (leave those chorizo bits that may have stuck to the pan and any fat rendered in the skillet). Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the chorizo mixture. Remove the skillet from the heat.
4. Using a large spoon or a ladle, make 6 to 8 indentations in the potato-chorizo mixture about 1 inch apart; crack an egg into each one. Bake the skillet in the middle of the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the egg whites are just set but the yolks are still runny. Serve at once with warmed tortillas, and cilantro, salsa, sour cream, and lime wedges.