Uitsmijter means bouncer, literally the one who throws out. The name comes from the Amsterdam café scene of the late 19th century, when a plate of fried eggs on bread was the last thing served before the doors closed. Today it is an all day café classic across the Netherlands and the default lunch in Amsterdam: slices of buttered bread layered with ham and young Gouda, topped with fried eggs whose edges are crisp and yolks still runny.

Amsterdam is half an hour from Zandvoort, and most race fans pass through it. Uitsmijter is what they eat on the way: fast, filling and impossible to get wrong once you know how to treat an egg. It is also the only dish in this book named after the person who ends the party.

The uitsmijter

Ingredients

• 4 slices white or whole wheat sandwich bread
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) softened butter
• 4 thin slices cooked ham
• 4 thin slices young Gouda cheese
• 6 large eggs
• salt and black pepper
• pickled gherkins, a few cherry tomatoes and cress or chives

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