Desert island dishes

Tony Murphy
Executive chef, ESS government services and our 2023 Executive Chef of the Year winner

Ultimate bacon sandwich
This is comfort food at its best! Crispy cooked, smoked dry cure back bacon, thickly sliced buttered sourdough bloomer bread and classic HP brown sauce.

As a result of the dry cure process, the bacon has a lower water content, resulting in less shrinkage and none of that awful white stuff in the pan. For the vegetarians among us, maple-glazed carrot bacon is a great alternative. You can go for ketchup or standard a white bloomer, but good old classic HP brown sauce and sourdough works for me every time.

Braised oxtail cottage pie
Whole oxtail pieces, braised in a rich demi glacé sauce, then picked and shredded, and added back to the sauce with roasted root vegetable. It’s best set in individual dishes and topped with a buttery mashed potato, then baked until you have a crispy golden brown top.

Classic Austrian linzertorte
This is one of my all-time favourite desserts, served with homemade clotted cream ice-cream. It’s generally made with an apple compote beneath the lattice lid, but any top or stone fruit works just as well. The pastry is a decadent mix of ground hazelnuts – although I sometimes use almonds and cake crumb – lemon zest and cinnamon.

I was taught this dish as an apprentice by a brilliant pastry chef called Francis – she would task me with making around 30kg at a time! Suffice to say, I’ve never forgotten the recipe and the smell of it when it’s baking takes me back to my days as a young commis chef.

Slow-cooked barbecue beef short ribs
I picked this recipe up from an old colleague who loved using his ceramic barbecue and this dish never disappoints.

Marinate the ribs overnight in Coca Cola or Dr Pepper with chipotle, maple syrup and thyme. Reduce the marinade and use for basting. Slow cook the ribs for approximately six to eight hours in the oven or over coals until the bone can be pulled out clean. Keep the cooking liquor and use as a mopping sauce.

Fritto misto  
Another of my favourite dishes, but it must include scallop and calamari as a minimum. I really enjoy the fresh, clean, simple flavours, just finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon and some caper berries. You can’t beat the simplicity of this dish.

Eggs royale
Made with a beautifully smoked wild Scottish salmon, on a fluffy toasted English muffin with a thick homemade Hollandaise.

Sautéed calves’ liver
There’s nothing better than thinly sliced calves’ liver, passed through seasoned flour and flash fried so nice and pink. Serve with crispy French fried onion rings and grilled streaky bacon – it’s always a winner!

Haribo Tangfastics or Wine Gums
No need to say any more!

What luxury item would you take?
I’ve thought long and hard about this and it would have to be an emergency survival kit that included insect repellent and a toothbrush. Also, if there was a cheeky little solar charged satellite phone thrown in, that would be heaven, so I can call someone to pick me up when I’ve had enough!

And what one book?
How to Stay Alive: The Ultimate Survival Guide for Any Situation by Bear Grylls. It’s been a long time since my Boy Scout days, and it would be rude not to have some guidance on how to stay alive!

And finally which one of the eight dishes?
It would have to be the ultimate bacon sandwich!

You may also be interested in…