Famous Last Meals / Modern companion recipe

Ham, Eggs and Crisp Potato Breakfast

Name: Ham, Eggs and Crisp Potato Breakfast
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 2 breakfast plates, each half of the eggs, ham and potatoes; no bread or drink included
Ingredients: 10½ oz potatoes after peeling, cut into ⅝ in/1.5 cm cubes (300 g prepared raw potato); 4 large eggs (about 200 g without shells); 4 thin slices commercially fully cooked ready-to-eat ham (120 g total); 2 tablespoons pasteurized milk (30 ml); 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil (15 ml), divided into 2 teaspoons/10 ml for potatoes and 1 teaspoon/5 ml for ham; 2 teaspoons butter (10 g); ¼ teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g), divided equally between potatoes and eggs; ¼ teaspoon black pepper (about 0.5 g), divided equally between potatoes and eggs; Drinking water for boiling potatoes; drain after cooking

Boil small potato cubes, dry them well and crisp them in a skillet. Warm the ham next, then scramble the eggs in the same pan just before serving. These are the public ballroom menu’s main foods, given original modern quantities and a small-household cooking route.

2 breakfast plates, each half of the eggs, ham and potatoes; no bread or drink includedActive 20 minCooking 45 minTotal 1 hr 5 min

Read John F. Kennedy: Breakfast Before Dallas →

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One of two complete modern breakfast plates: fully set moist yellow scrambled egg curds from two eggs, two thin pink ham slices heated with slight golden edges, and half the batch of golden 1.5 cm potato cubes. Three simple groups on a plain plate, no toast, coffee, orange juice, bacon, herbs, cheese, ketchup or garnish. — Original modern recipe illustration: Ham, Eggs and Crisp Potato Breakfast. See the measured recipe for portions and cooking instructions.

Dry cubes brown more readily

Draining alone leaves a film of water. Give the cooked potatoes their two minutes to release steam before they reach the oil, and avoid shaking them into mash. Turning less often at first gives a face time to color. Boiling and crisping are different stages: the first cooks the centers, while the second gives the outside its contrast.

Read the ham label before starting

The method is for a commercially cooked product already labeled ready to eat. A raw slice or a package instructing the cook to cook before eating requires a different route. Use the original opening or cooking date when deciding whether a packet still has storage time left; heating it in a new breakfast does not create a new shelf life.

Make the eggs the last job

The potatoes tolerate a few minutes on a plate better than scrambled eggs do. Keep the beaten bowl cold until needed, then lower the skillet heat before adding butter. A broad spatula makes larger curds, and a thermometer checks their endpoint. The finished eggs can be moist without remaining liquid. Divide them straight from the pan rather than leaving them over heat while arranging drinks.

Ingredients

10½ oz potatoes after peeling, cut into ⅝ in/1.5 cm cubes (300 g prepared raw potato)
4 large eggs (about 200 g without shells)
4 thin slices commercially fully cooked ready-to-eat ham (120 g total)
2 tablespoons pasteurized milk (30 ml)
1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil (15 ml), divided into 2 teaspoons/10 ml for potatoes and 1 teaspoon/5 ml for ham
2 teaspoons butter (10 g)
¼ teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g), divided equally between potatoes and eggs
¼ teaspoon black pepper (about 0.5 g), divided equally between potatoes and eggs
Drinking water for boiling potatoes; drain after cooking

Set out

Stovetop, 2-liter/about 2-quart saucepan, Colander, Nonstick skillet about 10 in/26 cm across with a usable flat base at least 8½ in/22 cm, Knife and board, Bowl and fork or whisk, Scale, measuring jug and spoons, Heatproof spatula, Food thermometer, Two serving plates and a clean cover for brief holding, Shallow leftover containers and refrigerator

Allergens

Egg; Milk. Eggs, milk and butter are included. Ham may contain soy, wheat or other added ingredients; check its label and all intended dietary requirements. The water variation still contains butter.

Make it

Put the prepared potato cubes in the saucepan and cover with drinking water by about 1 in/2.5 cm. Bring to a boil, about 5–10 minutes, then simmer 8–10 minutes until a fork enters with slight resistance but the cubes hold together. Drain thoroughly and let steam escape for 2 minutes. During this stage, beat eggs with the milk and half the salt and pepper; keep the covered bowl refrigerated at 40°F/4°C or below until the last step.
Heat 10 ml oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the drained potatoes in one uncrowded layer on its usable base. Cook 10–12 minutes, turning gently several times, until golden in places and tender throughout. Add the remaining half of salt and pepper. Divide the potatoes between the two plates and cover while finishing the ham and eggs; serve the whole breakfast promptly after this short sequence.
Add the remaining 5 ml oil to the same skillet and warm the ham for about 3–4 minutes, turning as needed, until hot throughout at 165°F/74°C. If the slices overlap, turn and separate them so all heat evenly. Divide between the plates, two slices each. This calls for fully cooked ham, not raw gammon, bacon or a cook-before-eating product.
Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the butter; as soon as it melts, pour in the cold beaten eggs. Draw a spatula slowly across the base, folding soft curds without letting a dry skin form. Cook about 3–5 minutes until set, with no runny egg, and 160°F/71°C in the center of the egg mixture. Divide all eggs between the plates. Serve immediately with the potatoes and ham; there is no extra oil or garnish.

A useful detail

The 65-minute total includes 20 minutes for peeling, cutting and preparing the eggs, then a full sequential potato-boil, draining, crisping, ham and egg route of about 45 minutes. One skillet is used in sequence. Potatoes and ham wait only for the brief final cooking stages, not for extended room-temperature holding. Smaller skillet bases need potato batches and longer time; the specified base avoids relying on crowded browning.

Keep it well

Freshly scrambled eggs are best eaten promptly. Put any planned leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Use within 2 days or the ham’s earlier original deadline, whichever comes first. Reheat only the portion needed to 165°F/74°C throughout. Do not extend an older ham packet’s safe storage period by cooking it into this plate.

How this recipe relates to the story

The three main foods connect to the public breakfast guests’ menu in the museum’s curatorial record. The measurements and sequential skillet method are original. The recipe makes no claim about Kennedy’s private room-service order or personal consumption at the public event.

Another way

For a different modern plate, replace the ham with 120 g sliced mushrooms. Cook them in the allocated 5 ml oil for 7–9 minutes until tender and their released liquid has evaporated; extend the total time. Keep all four eggs and the potato portion. This variation is not the documented ballroom menu.
Use 30 ml drinking water instead of milk for slightly firmer egg curds. Butter still contains milk, so this single substitution is not a milk-free claim.