Œufs à la tripe (Eggs in Onion Béchamel) & Steamed Potatoes

📝 Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 500 g waxy potatoes
• 2 large brown onions (about 125 g each)
• 15 g unsalted butter
• 30 g plain flour
• 400 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 10 g fresh parsley (a few sprigs)
• Salt, black pepper, grated nutmeg

🍴 Utensils

• Sauté pan with lid
• Saucepan with steamer basket
• Medium saucepan
• Whisk
• Mixing bowl
• Chef's knife

📖 Steps

1. Peel the onions, halve them, then slice thinly. Sweat them in the sauté pan with the butter, covered, over a low heat for 20 min, stirring occasionally: they should become soft and translucent without colouring.
2. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into even pieces of about 4 cm. Steam them for 20 to 25 min in the steamer basket over simmering water, until the tip of a knife slides in without resistance.
3. Bring water to the boil in the medium saucepan, gently lower in the eggs with a spoon and cook for 10 min. Cool them immediately for 5 min in a bowl of cold water: this prevents the greenish ring around the yolk and makes peeling easier.
4. When the onions are meltingly soft, sprinkle them with the flour and stir for 1 min over a low heat to cook it without letting it brown. Pour in the cold milk little by little, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
5. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat while whisking, then cook for 3 to 4 min until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper and add 2 pinches of nutmeg. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with 2 to 3 tbsp water.
6. Peel the eggs by rolling them on the worktop, rinse them to remove any bits of shell, then quarter them lengthways. Place them in the sauce and warm through for 2 min over a very low heat, without stirring so they don't break.
7. Wash, dry and finely chop the parsley. Lightly salt the potatoes and divide them between warm plates, add the eggs coated in onion sauce and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately: the béchamel thickens as it cools.