I just made myself a delicious eye sandwich so in the spirit of my chili making blog I though I’d write a little how to on making my particular egg sandwich. It’s not a hard thing to make but it takes a little know how.
I start off with a small frying pan. I think it’s an eight inch frying pan if memory serves but it’s a fairly tiny eight inch pan as the sides of it slant in at a sharp angle. It’s easy to handle and just the right size for two eggs. The first thing I do is drop a small amount of butter into the pan. If you’re not a butter fan you can skip this step and it won’t effect the outcome that much but I like a little butter. I’ve also made it without the butter and was fine with it so that’s your choice.
The next step is the spices. I know most people uses salt and pepper on their eggs (as well as in everything else) but I don’t. The three spices I use most are thyme, oregano, and basil. As I mentioned in my chili blog I’ve had trouble finding thyme in my local supermarkets as of late and so have been buying “Italian Seasoning”. That’s thyme and oregano in one jar so it fits the bill okay.
After I put the frying pan over low to medium heat I put about half a pat of butter in the pan and wait for it to melt. Then I sprinkle the three spices into the butter to cover the bottom of the pan. You don’t want full coverage of the bottom of the pan but about a third to half way. A nice even coat where you can see about half pan and half spices. Maybe a little less. If you’re a garlic fan, as I am, sprinkle a little garlic on top of that. Less than the other spices. Now it’s time for the eggs. I’m making them over-easy by the way. With broken yolks.
The egg part is also easy but has to be done a certain way. I crack the eggs one at a time and put one on each side of the pan. Sure they run together but as long as you can split them in half with one yolk on each side things will be fine. After the two eggs are in the pan I use the spatula to break the yolks. This keeps the eggs flat and makes it easier to build and eat the sandwich. Since the eggs are cooked over easy some of the yolk is still soft but no so runny as to make a mess.
At this point, since the heat is on low to medium, I take a moment to slice some cheddar cheese. I think it’s your standard eight ounce block of cheese and I cut six slices. Three for each egg. That’s not a lot of cheese as six slices is probably less than a standard pre-sliced piece of American cheese. But it’s enough.
After my cheese is sliced I check on my eggs. I cook them slowly so what I do next is to check and see if they’re ready for flipping. I take my spatula and run them down the center of the pan splitting the eggs in half with one yolk on the left and one on the right. Usually this doesn’t take right away since the eggs aren’t cooked enough. So I just run the spatula between them a few times patiently waiting for the eggs to separate and stay separated. When a good base of cooked eggs is formed on the bottom it’s time to flip them. The tops of the eggs aren’t cooked at this point so flip them gently. I don’t have any fancy way of flipping eggs except that since I’m right handed I find it easiest to flip the left side egg first and then turn the pan around so the other egg is now on the left. That way I don’t have to contort my arm or change hands to flip the right side.
After the eggs are flipped you should be able to see a nice speckling of spices on the now top of the eggs. I take my cheese and put three slices on each egg. If you want to get fancy you can put a lid on the pan at this moment to melt the cheese a little. I used to do that but don’t anymore. I find the heat of the eggs melts them fine as they sit in the sandwich. It takes less time to cook this side of the eggs. Maybe a minute or two before you can turn off the heat and remove them. If you like your eggs firmer than that leave them on an additional minute.
Now a word about bread. I’ve used all sorts of bread with my egg sandwiches but I toast them all. A bagel is good and I also like a Portuguese roll and a ciabatta roll. The key for the bread it that is has to be firm. I’ve found that something like a Kaiser roll is too soft even when toasted. The bread has to have a good crust but not one that you have to tear at with your teeth. Some Italian breads have too thick a crust. I’m a fan of hot sauce so I sprinkle a little of that on the bread and then I put the cooked eggs, one at a time, between the slices of bread and let it rest for a minute or two. I find the sandwich firms up and is easier to eat after it rests briefly.
To continue on about bread I’ve been doing things a little differently lately. I’ve been using English muffins. Since they’re smaller than most rolls and bagels I’ve been going open faced with them. First I toast the English muffin so that it’s nice and crisp and then I sprinkle some hot sauce into the nooks and crannies. The eggs are put on a bit differently too. After the eggs are done cooking I cut each egg in half with the spatula and pile one half upon the other on top of half an English muffin. That way I end up with two open face English muffin eggs sandwiches with two layers of egg and cheese on each. It sure is tasty.
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