For a blog that's meant to be mostly sweet, I seem to be posting quite a bit of savory things.
But this is one of my very favorite breakfasts (since I can't always eat cake). So I thought I would share it with you.
It's a twist on the classic soft boiled egg and soldiers, but since we're all about everything baked here, that's what I do instead.
Baked eggs are an easy alternative to boiled. This might seem like a why-go-to-this-trouble kind of breakfast but I promise it's worth the tiny little extra effort - boiled eggs, in my experience, have been annoying unpredictable, and here, you'll get a gooey, golden, dip-worthy yolk for your toast every time. Or whatever else you fancy as your soldiers - I imagine lightly steamed asparagus would be great with this too.
Baked Eggs and Soldiers
Makes 2 portions, or 1 big breakfast
Note: feel free to add whatever else you like to these eggs - ham and onion is what I usually like since I always have onion halves lying around in the fridge. You can also add diced tomatoes, leeks, or bacon. Just throw them in the pan to cook a little before you bake them with the egg.
2 eggs
1/2 an onion, finely diced
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional, but I feel like the chilli helps wake me up)
4-5 pieces of thinly sliced ham, chopped
Some olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dried parsley to garnish (if you're feeling fancy)
Preheat the oven to 175C.
Chop up your onion, ham and anything else you feel like adding. Heat up a little oil in a medium skillet, and throw the diced onion in first along with the chilli flakes. Cook until the onions are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the ham and any other extra ingredients and fry for a further 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat and divide the mixture between 2 ramekins.
Crack an egg into each ramekin. Using a toothpick, lightly prick the yolk so that it's no longer whole (this will prevent the top of the yolk from shriveling up, which it will do sometimes).
Bake the eggs for about 13-15 minutes, keeping an eye on them. You want the white to be set but the yolk runny. If the white still looks transparent, put it back in the oven for a further minute.
Meanwhile, make your toast. When the eggs are done, season liberally with salt and pepper, and dive in.