Sometimes it’s the simplest things that taste the best. Before I married Marlboro Man, I had to learn to make these delicious little numbers or he wouldn’t go through with the wedding. Called “Egg-in-a-Holes” by his paternal grandmother who made them for him all during his childhood, I’ve learned not only to love them through the years…but to need them. They define comfort food, are painfully easy to make, and will turn any stressful, hectic morning into something entirely different. I’m not saying Egg-in-a-Holes will change the world…but they will change your spirit. Sorta. Maybe.
Before I get on with the recipe, I must acknowledge that this simple recipe goes by as many different names as the human beings who eat it. While I insist the original name is “Egg-in-the-Hole,” here are the different incarnations that have cropped up since:
Egg-in-a-Basket
Chicken-in-a-Basket (flawed logic, but just wait for the next one)
Frog-in-a-Hole (what gives here? Frog? It’s an egg, sirs.)
Toad-in-a-Hole (ever hear of warts?)
Egg Basket
Bird’s Nest Egg
Toad Hole
Egg Hole
Pop Eyes
Egg Toast
Private Eyes
Bird’s Nest Egg-in-a-Hole Basket Toad Chicken Frog
And the list goes on and on.
But really? It doesn’t matter what you call it. Just make it! Then eat it! And you, too shall know the allure of probably the simplest breakfast dish next to oatmeal.
To begin, grab a slice of bread. You can use storebought white, wheat, or you can get fancy and use brioche or challah. But only if you live in a city. This happens to be Earthgrains Honey Wheat bread. It’s the best I could do this morning.
With a biscuit cutter (preferably, a rusty, worn biscuit cutter that reveals the frequency with which you make biscuits) or the rim of a glass, press a hole in the center of the bread.
That this biscuit cutter has survived my four children is one of the miracles of modern country life. I still can’t believe they haven’t buried it yet.
Next, heat a skillet over medium-low heat. You don’t want to get it too hot or it’ll burn the bread before the egg is done. This is the only tricky thing about making Egg-in-a-Holes.
Next, melt a healthy tablespoon of butter in the skillet. This is another important thing about making Egg-in-a-Holes: You must not be afraid of the butter. The butter must soak into the bread and give it flavor and crunch. Or something.
Let it melt all the way…
Then plop the bread right in.
Make sure there’s plenty of butter underneath, then carefully crack a large egg into the center. Don’t move the bread for at least 30 seconds or so.
Now sprinkle the egg with salt…
And pepper to taste.
Then, after about a minute, flip it over with a spatula.
Salt and pepper the other side, then move the whole piece of toast around the skillet, soaking up all the butter. A tablespoon of butter is a terrible thing to waste.
Let it cook until the yolk feels, to the touch, still soft without feeling over jiggly. Jiggly means the white is still soft, and that’s gross. But if you let it go too long, the yolk will be hard and that’s gross, too. Here’s the key: golden brown toast, white (not brown/burned) whites, soft, unbroken yolk.
Here’s the other secret: just one of these suckers is all I need to feel whole, happy, and free.
I don’t know where the “free” comes in, but when I figure it out, I’ll get back with you.
Oh! I almost forgot: Part of the joy of an Egg-in-a-Hole is throwing the little bread circle into the skillet and letting it soak up butter and get brown, too. But you see, I was hungry. And I done et it.
Ugh. Does it get any better than this, I ask you? I think soft yolks are underrated and overlooked in our society.And I’m changing that today.
Who’s with me?
