This speck, potato and cheese souffle makes relatively humble ingredients into something special and delicious, with a lovely smoky speck flavor coming through.
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I think I have mentioned before that for more years than I can remember as a child, we went to Austria in the summer on vacation/holiday. My parents have always loved hiking and being able to hike in beautiful mountains was a bonus. Especially when you added in huts you could stop off in for some food and a drink along the way.
Funnily enough, I preferred it to the generally soggy walking and eating options in Scotland too. I do love Scotland, but walking in rain or through bogs is all too common a feature.
One of the main areas we went to in Austria was East Tyrol which is near the border with Italy.
We went into South Tyrol, just over the border, a couple times and it’s an interesting mix of some things clearly more Italian, others more like their Austrian neighbors.
One South Tyrolean tradition they share with Austria (and Southern Germany) is making and enjoying speck. It’s a tasty cured ham that I remember enjoying many times.
What’s the difference between speck and prosciutto?
Speck uses the same basic ingredients as prosciutto ie ham, salt and mountain air to dry it. However the main difference is it is lightly smoked. I’d say it has a slightly stronger flavor as a result and it is a little drier. There’s a definite smokey taste which is delicious.
You can use speck in a range of recipes to add that touch of flavor. A classic is German green beans, speckbohnen, but it would be great in a quiche, for example. It is also tasty just thinly sliced and eaten as an appetizer/snack.
This souffle uses just enough speck to get it’s lovely flavor. Then otherwise, it’s a very humble set of ingredients. Yet they come together to make something delicious and quite special-feeling.
Savory breaths
I first made a leek and potato souffle a few years ago. I found it on a card I picked up in a supermarket and I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty it was. If I remember rightly, I think it may have been this Delia Smith recipe or at least similar.
It’s tempting to say it was tasty despite the ingredients, but that seems a bit harsh on eggs, potatoes, leeks and cheese. But you know what I mean. They are comforting, yes, but not typically fancy-feeling.
However when they’re put together as a breath, that’s just how they feel. I wanted to build on that with just that bit more flavor with this speck version, and I have to say it worked so well.
Possibly not surprisingly, but one of the reasons this savory souffle makes the ingredients seem that bit more special, is there’s a little more effort involved. But that said, it’s only a couple more steps and easy when you follow a few simple tips.
See how it comes together in the short video!
Tips for a successful breath
- Make sure you grease your breath dish before you for in the mixture. I usually (as in this recipe) then dust with cheese or something else appropriate to get a nice flavor as well as helping it not stick too much.
- Use a spoonful or two of the beaten egg whites to loosen/lighten up the yolk mix before you combine them fully. It will help save (in this case) the potato mixture just sinking to the bottom or you losing all the air from the whites as you mix.
- Fold the whites into the potato mixture gently, and if anything mix less rather than more. You want to kind of scoop the mixture over itself rather than stirring (hence it’s called ‘folding’). It should just get to a point where you don’t have obviously white clumps of egg white. You should still definitely see air bubbles and the potato mixture may not seem completely evenly distributed, but at least not all in one pile.
- Unlike when you are baking eg scones, the souffle will brown mid-way through cooking but that doesn’t mean it’s done yet. You need to give it a good 25min or more for the center to firm up a bit more.
- Breaths generally lose their rise quicklyso serve it soon after you take it out the oven (below is just a couple minutes after coming out the oven, with it gradually starting to deflate).
I know this might all sound off-putting, but really these are just things to keep in mind. And if you do, you really shouldn’t have any problems creating a great breath.
This speck, potato and cheese souffle has such great flavors and makes a lovely meal that really could work at any time of the day. You could have it with salad, bread or on it’s own.
It has a lovely comfort factor, without being too heavy, and the flavors are delicious. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.
Try these other comforting dishes:
Print Recipe
Speck, potato and cheese souffle
A deliciously comforting dish that makes something special out of simple ingredients.
Services: 1 -2
calories: 976calories
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Ingredients
- 5 oz potatoes 140g
- ½ onion small
- ½ tablespoon butter approximately
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese approx, finely grated
- ½ cup milk 120ml
- ¾ cup Cheddar 50g, grated
- 1 ½ oz speck 40g, in thin slices, trimmed of upper layer of fat/skin and finely diced
- 3 eggs large, separated
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
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Boil the potatoes until cooked – no need to peel before cooking nor cut. Drain and allow them to cool once done (this can be done ahead of time).
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Meanwhile dice the onion fairly finely and fry in a little oil or butter until gently brown, around 5-10min, stirring now and then.
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While the potatoes and onions are cooking, butter all round a 6in wide souffle dish then swirl around approx 1 ½tbsp finely grated parmesan so that it sticks to the base and sides.
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Once the onions have lightly browned, remove from heat and add the milk to the pan to allow it to take on the flavors as the onion cools.
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After you have left it for a minute or two, peel the potato and coarsely grate them into the onion/milk mixture along with the grated cheddar and finely diced speck.
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Lightly beat the egg yolks and add to the potato mixture, stirring to combine.
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Whisk egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff.
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Fold a spoonful or two of the whites into the potato mixture to loosen it then fold in the rest carefully (you can either do this in a separate bowl or carefully put the potato mixture into the side of the whites bowl before then folding in), folding the mixture just enough so combined and no big clumps of white. Carefully tip the mixture in to the prepared souffle dish and top with a little more finely grated parmesan.
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Bake in oven around 25-30min until golden and it has risen well. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
calories: 976calories | Carbohydrates: 31g | protein: 54g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Cholesterol: 642mg | Sodium: 1274mg | Potassium: 1176mg | fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2015UI | Vitamin C: 20.2mg | Calcium: 996mg | Iron: 7.5mg
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This post has been updated primarily with new photos.
When I first made this recipe, I received samples of Speck Alto Adige PGI ham for review and recipe development but was not financially compensated. All opinions are my own.