The Ultimate Egg Sandwich
You might think it’s odd that I’m posting a breakfast sandwich at the official start of summer, unless you live in a neighborhood such as mine, where Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the party season. You see, in River Falls you need no plans going into a summer weekend and you can rest assured that you won’t find yourself sitting home alone day or night. There’s always a reason for a group to get together whether it be at the neighborhood pool, on the tennis courts, around a fire pit or on someone’s cozy back (or front–you know who you are) porch.
It’s likely that many of you have a similar version of summer in your neck-of-the-woods. If that’s the case then you already get where I’m going with the egg sandwich but I’ll spell it out for those who are struggling to connect the dots. You see nothing hits the spot on those “mornings after” like an egg sandwich. And there’s no greater sign that your party’s a success than when someone pulls out your non-stick skillet and starts whipping up egg sandwiches in your kitchen, late night.
With this sort of star status, you can imagine why the article, “The Ultimate Egg Sandwich” in Bon Appetit‘s April 2015 issue piqued my interest. In this piece, Alison Roman deconstructs the classic. She starts with the requisite Thomas’ English Muffin split apart with your hands as opposed to a knife to ensure the preservation of the nooks and cranies. In between the muffin halves are melted American cheese (yes, you heard it here–American cheese makes for the best egg sandwich), a sausage patty and a folded egg (think omelette as opposed to sloppy scramble or drippy fried). My version uses frozen sausage patties (full disclosure: soy patties for me) which I’m sure are not half as delicious as homemade sausage patties but for a late night or morning meal, they work just fine. The article recommends two eggs but after a couple of tries I’ve realized that one egg makes for a hearty sandwich which is ever so slightly easier to eat.
But what really makes this sandwich special are the toppings. A vinegary hot sauce is optional for some but de rigeur for me. Add to that a drizzle of honey and voila! you’ve got yourself an egg sandwich that is the perfect balance of sweet, salty and sour. My brother made the suggestion to replace the honey with honey mustard and I have to say that after giving that variation a try, I am torn. Let’s just say that I’ll never have another egg sandwich without either honey or honey mustard. I’m sold on the concept and think you will be too.
Here’s to the late nights of summer and the best morning after remedy around–The Ultimate Egg Sandwich.
The Ultimate Egg Sandwich
- 1 Thomas' English Muffin
- 1-2 slices American cheese
- 1 frozen breakfast sausage patty (or soy substitute)
- 1 egg, whisked with 1 Tbls of milk
- drizzle of honey or honey mustard (Honeycup, recommended)
- vinegar-based hot sauce, optional
- Preheat a nonstick skillet to medium-high heat.
- Heat sausage patty until warmed through, several minutes per side.
- Split the English muffin and lightly toast.
- Remove the smaller muffin half, spread with honey mustard, if using, and top with the cooked sausage patty.
- Put 1-2 slices of American cheese on the larger muffin half and let melt by the residual heat of the toaster oven.
- Meanwhile, lower the heat of the pan to medium, spray with cooking spray and pour in the beaten egg. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, cook the egg while lifting edges of the egg and tilting the skillet to let uncooked egg run underneath, until mostly set but still slightly runny on top, 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper.
- Fold eggs into a half moon, then in half again so it all fits on that muffin.
- Place cooked egg on top of the muffin half with melted cheese.
- Sprinkle the egg with hot sauce, if using.
- Drizzle the sausage with honey, if using.
- Eat while hot with plenty of napkins nearby.