fried eggs

fried eggs

It took me years to appreciate the simple beauty of a fried egg. It’s all about finding the balance between a light crispy base, non-snotty whites and deliciously oozy yolks. A big ask but once you get it, you’ll become a fried egg convert too. They’re also great on sandwiches.

per person
1 handful cooked legumes or cooked or raw veg
2 eggs

1. Heat a small fry pan on a medium high heat.

2. Add the legume or veg. Cook for a few minutes just to warm up. Transfer to a plate. If using raw veg, skip this step

3. Add a few tablespoons oil and break the egg into the pan.

3. Cook on a medium high heat for about 2 minutes or until the white is brown on the edges and no longer runny or ‘snotty’ in the middle.

4. Serve eggs on top of the lentils with lashings of salt and black pepper.

variations

legumes – try cooked puy or green lentils, red lentils, yellow split peas, green split peas, chickpeas. Or canned cannellini beans, borlotti beans or black beans. They might need a little seasoning with a splash or soy sauce and a little vinegar.

cooked vegetables – spinach, kale, beet tops, collard greens, steamed broccoli.

raw vegetables – avocado, fennel, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, beets, asparagus, broccoli (grate rather than ‘shave), cauliflower (grate rather than ‘shave’), snow peas, sugarsnap peas, celery, red capsicum (bell peppers). Leafy veg such as spinach, kale or collard greens can be finely sliced into ribbons with a knife.

combo – use a combo of vegetables and legumes.

carb lovers accompaniment – hot buttered toast.

optional extras – crispy bacon, chilli oil, worcestershire sauce, fried chilli flakes, smoked paprika, curry powder. Oyster sauce and spring onions are great for a Chinese breakkie.

leftover potential?

Fried eggs don’t reheat well. Best to make fresh and eat hot.

problem solving guide

too bland? remember to be generous with the salt & pepper. And maybe next time look at using better quality eggs.

eggs burning – the trick with cooking eggs ‘sunny side up’ is to get the bottoms lightly browned (but not too dark) and getting the whites cooked through. Spooning a little hot cooking oil over the whites can help speed up the process. And make sure you aren’t using too high a heat.

eggs rubbery – when egg whites are over cooked the protein goes rubbery. Next tine use a more gentle heat and be ready to stop cooking as soon as the whites are just ‘set’.

yolks too runny – if you prefer your yolks cooked all the way through, best to go for eggs ‘over-easy’ and flip the eggs after about 2 minutes and cook on the second side for about 30 seconds or until the white is just set.

serving suggestions

We tend to go for bowls. Don’t forget a big mug of hot strong Irish breakfast tea.__