Crack an Egg Over It

This is my solution to making a good meal a little bit better. Do you have left over French fries from last night’s trivia at the bar? Crack an egg over it for breakfast. Do you have some almost stale bread you want to use up? Crack an egg over it for a snack. This advice also holds true if you plan on participating in Mischief Night, or if you are not fond of someone – crack an egg over it.

Personally, I am new to the wonders of a runny egg yolk. But I have fallen for it, hard. I used to watch my dad eat sunny side up eggs and think, ‘gross.’ Aactually I still kind of think that. It’s the runny whites that freak me out. So an over easy egg, or a poached egg is perfect for me. But come on, who really poaches eggs for non-special occasions? Therefore, we are left with the over easy egg.

When you ‘crack an egg’ over something I like to pretend it’s a lighter version of hollandaise. Sprinkle some lemon juice over it and wham! a quick and dirty version of something that should be consumed in moderation. I know, I know, eggs are sometimes good for us and sometimes not, but I choose the former and thus think it is perfectly acceptable to consume eggs for dinner.

This week, I have had eggs twice for dinner so far. I find that it encourages me to cook when I am dining alone. And it does not leave me with a mountain of dishes to wash afterwards. Sauté or roast something and then crack an egg over it = dinner. Originally, I was going to write about roasted Brussels sprouts for you, but then I thought no, I will expound the glories of egg over Brussels sprouts. And that my friends, is what this is.

Roasted Brussels sprouts are life changing. They do not smell like cabbage, they are not soggy bites of punishment. No, they are nutty and crunchy and lovely. I converted some members of my family this past Thanksgiving with roasted Brussels sprouts, so I recommend that you try it too. And if you are feeling a bit hungry or are dining alone I stand by my statement to ‘crack and egg over it.’

Roasted Brussels sprouts and potatoes with an egg

½ pound Brussels sprouts
1 c small potatoes (or cut to same size as Brussels sprouts)
½ small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Lemon Juice
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut the bottoms off the Brussels sprouts and halve (quarter if they are large). Combine with potatoes, onion and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally until the potatoes are cooked through. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

In a small frying pan, heat a small amount of oil, to coat the bottom. Crack an egg into the pan, and sprinkle yolk with salt and pepper. Once the edges are nicely set (about a minute) flip the egg over. Cook for another 30 seconds.

To Serve, spoon some of the Brussels sprout and potato mixture onto a plate, top with the egg and serve. Any leftover potatoes and Brussels sprouts are equally good the next day for lunch, with or without the egg.