Sunny side up eggs are my thing right now. If you follow my instagram account, you might have picked up on this fact already. Sunny side up eggs are one of the easiest and most satisfying breakfasts, but preparing the perfect sunny side up egg can take a bit of practice. The key is to completely cook the white, while leaving the yolk runny.
There are two secrets to perfectly cooking a sunny side up egg. The first is to not overheat the pan. You want the heat to be medium-low, as in not medium and not low but the temperature in the middle. The second secret is to cover the pan. This is important because this is how the top of the egg white gets cooked.
When I cook sunny side up eggs, I begin by heating the pan for a minute. Then I melt one teaspoon of butter. I crack an egg into the pan, and I cover the pan immediately (use a plate if your pan doesn’t have a lid). Leave the pan covered for 2-3 minutes. The key is to cover the pan long enough for the heat to cook the white – but don’t cover the pan for so long that it cooks the yolk. Remove the lid, and continue cooking the egg for another minute. Then serve immediately.
Now on to ways to serve that perfectly cooked sunny side up egg – there are many ways to serve a sunny side up egg and the more creative the better.
As Breakfast
Let’s start with the basics. Most people first think of breakfast when they think of eggs. A sunny side up egg with toast is a delightful thing that should never be underestimated. The way that the crisp bread sops up the runny yolk is wonderful. My standard Saturday breakfast is an egg on top of avocado toast, sprinkled with bacon.
I recently created a recipe for Potato Hash with a Sunny Side Up Egg topped with Mornay Sauce (the same sauce that is used in mac and cheese), served with a slice of bacon. It might be my favorite homemade brunch ever, and you can get the recipe on The Everygirl. (photo by Regan Baroni)
As a Side
An egg is also a fun topping for crispy fries – and this has become popular in Chicago restaurants. Au Cheval has some of the most famous fries in Chicago. The crispy fries are topped a fried egg and both a garlic aioli and cheese mornay sauce are offered on the side.
And Summer House Santa Monica serves a Hot Mess of Fries which involves queso fresco, al pastor, pico de gallo, and a sunny side up egg.
On a Sandwich
Add it to a sandwich. A Croque Madame, like this one from Old Town Social, has a fried egg on top, but why not add a sunny side up egg to other sandwiches? A BLT would be the perfect place to start.
I am sure I will be experimenting with more fun ways to server sunny side up eggs throughout the winter, since it is far too cold to leave home to go out for brunch. I post my weekend breakfast/brunch photos on instagram, so feel free to follow along!
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