Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day by far and eggs are one of my favourite foods. Growing up, my dad would always make my brother and me “Bird’s Nests” – you may have heard them called Egg in a Hole or Birds in a Nest. You simply butter bread, cut out the center (my dad would always selflessly hand this off to his forever-hungry daughter) and pan fry an egg in the middle. It’s so simple but so, so good.
We took this idea but substituted potatoes for the bread and made this into a breakfast-for-one in a 6-inch cast-iron skillet. The presentation is great and just like a Bird’s Nest, the recipe is easy.
First we spiralized a potato using the 4-in-1 Spiralizer. You’ll want to place the potato spirals in between two paper towels and squeeze as much of the water out as you can before cooking. Once the potatoes are dry, stir them with onions, vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Add the mixture to your mini skillet and move the mixture up the sides of the skillet, creating a “nest” for your eggs. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the edges are browned.
Now for the best part. Remove the skillet from the oven and add two eggs to the center. We cracked two eggs onto the potatoes for sunny-side up but you could scramble two eggs and add sausage, bacon, or veggies. Bake for another 10 to 12 minutes until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
We topped our Spiralizer Egg Nests with chopped chives and a little salt and pepper, but your favorite hot sauce and crumbled bacon are definitely welcome. Eat right out of the skillet for that cooked-over-the-campfire feel or plate your nests. We enjoyed these individual nests but you could make a bigger nest in a large cast-iron skillet or griddle and feed the entire flock.
- 1 large (10 ounce) russet potato
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large eggs
- Chopped chives
- coarse pepper
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Using a Spiralizer, cut potato into thin spirals
- Place potatoes in paper towels and squeeze dry.
- Add a small (6 1/2-inch) cast iron skillet to the heated oven for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a large bowl, stir potatoes, onion, vegetable oil, salt and pepper until well blended.
- Spray hot skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add potato mixture to skillet and move mixture up the side.
- Bake 23 to 25 minutes until the edge is slightly brown and crisp. Remove from oven and add eggs onto the potato mixture.
- Bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until egg is cooked to your desired consistency. Garnish with chopped chives and coarse pepper.
TAGS: egg nests, eggs, potato, skillets, spiralizer
CATEGORIES: breakfast, From the Test Kitchen
