This is called The Sandwich, Part One because there are a few sarnies in our house called The Sandwich. This is, to be specific, The Sunday Breakfast Sandwich, and The Husband loves it. In fact, he was doing his “Happy Sandwich Dance” as he finished it this morning. It was a thing of beauty.
The Sandwich? You can't handle The Sandwich!
So, vegans, look away now. There’s no way I can make this sandwich vegan, as it features an egg as a centerpiece. Vegetarians can merely substitute the meat for some fake bacon and be on their merry way. I guess if you remove the egg, use fake bacon and use Vegenaise, you can have something similar. I will have to think of a delicious vegan breakfast sarnie. (BTW, “sarnie” is sandwich in Brit-speak.)
In our tiny kitchen, this is quite a production, but I’ve got it down to a science now. The Husband and I were discussing this morning that you can use prosciutto instead of the bacon, but it makes it a little salty if you use cheese. I use my mayo-salsa spread instead of cheese, so I don’t have that problem. Sally forth as you feel is most appropriate for you!
Here’s the recipe and process:
The [Breakfast] Sandwich
(Serves 2)
2 organic, free-range eggs
4 slices of your favorite bread*
Nitrate-free bacon**
Arugula (baby spinach would work in a pinch)
Sharp cheddar cheese
3 Tbls mayonnaise
1.5 Tbls of your favorite salsa or hot sauce
First of all, cook the bacon or prosciutto to your desired crispiness. I would recommend getting it pretty crispy, as it makes it easier to bite through as you’re eating the sandwich. I usually have to add a little oil to get the prosciutto to crisp up. When done, take the bacon out and drain on paper towels.
This is where it gets really unhealthy: take the bacon fat and put it into the pan you’re going to cook the eggs in. I have little blini pans to fry the eggs in, which makes it really easy. I would recommend getting either some blini pans or those rings that you can cook things in to keep them in a nice circle shape—it makes things a lot easier for certain dishes. Like this one.
This is where things get a little tricky, timewise. Start toasting your bread, and don’t even think about heating your oil/bacon fat yet or you’ll ruin the eggs. As your bread is toasting (under the tiny broiler in my lovely kitchen, which is a pain in the butt and I’m always scared my hair will catch fire), break the eggs into little ramekins and season with some salt and pepper.
Mix together the mayo and the salsa, and slice the cheese to put on top of the bread. When the bread is almost toasted, take it out and lay the cheese on top. Put it back under the broiler until it’s nice and bubbly.
While this happens, start heating the fat for the eggs. Heat them on medium heat—I’ve learned this the hard way. I used to fire that stuff up, but then the egg would get all hard in the middle. The Husband likes it runny, and so do I, after so many years in England, home of the softly cooked egg. My poor sister would have to beg them to cook her scrambled eggs “well done” to get them anywhere near the American version of scrambled, where the pepper bounces off them.
So, carefully pour the egg(s) into the pan when the fat gets hot. Cook them about 2 minutes on the first side, then carefully turn them over to not break the yolk. (Or go ahead and break it, if that’s the way you like your eggs.) Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit there as you finish your assembly.
Put the cheesy-toast on the plates, slather on some spicy mayo and add the bacon. Carefully lay the egg on top. The Husband is very particular about where the yolk goes, as he likes it in his first bite. I try to accommodate. Top the egg with a handful of arugula and cover with the other half of the bread. Serve with your favorite Sunday-morning beverage.
WARNING: Bite into it carefully if you have done the eggs over-easy. We’ve had yolk all over the place with over-eager first bites!
And if you thought that sandwich was labor intensive, just wait til The Sandwich, Part Two…
*We use Trader’s cracked wheat sourdough, which needs to be cut in half as they’re quite long pieces
**We use applewood-smoked bacon, and use as many pieces as you’d like to pile on the sandwich. We use 2 each, cut in half.
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