A Tisket A Tasket

The weekend is coming, and that can only mean one thing. 

EGGS IN A BASKET.

As a person who really only came into wet eggs a few years ago, I must say that this is all quite new for me. And now I really like wet eggs way more than I ever thought I would. Scrambled eggs still hold a very dear place in my heart, but a half-cooked egg is becoming more and more interesting to me all the time. Of all the variations out there, my very favorite wet egg preparation is this: egg in a basket. Or, you know, toad in the hole. Egg in a hole. Willy with a lid. Call it what you will, but just know that this is the most incredible thing to eat. And the ease! Pause here while I do swooning over its sheer simplicity. Let's do the thing where I tell you a recipe in the simplest terms I can come up with.

Egg In A Basket

Cut hole in slice of bread.

Crack egg into small bowl.

Heat butter in skillet.

Brown one side of bread and the hat.

Flip.

Add egg to hole.

Cook until desired doneness. 

Flip again, if you'd like, and cook for five more seconds to seal up the basket.

Okay, okay, wait. That was pathetic! I can do better:

Egg In A Basket

Cut hole.

Crack egg. 

Heat butter. 

Brown bread.

Flip.

Add egg.

Cook.

Flip.

Wait! One more! Shorter! Easier!

Egg In A Basket

Hole.

Egg.

Butter.

Brown.

Flip.

Egg.

Cook.

Flip.

And now, we've landed upon the newest name: 8-Word Egg!

My recent trick is to add some shredded sharp cheddar to the top so that when you do the second flip, the cheese browns and helps create that really nice seal on the top. I know that the traditional method is to not cook the second side, and to leave the egg quite wet and exposed, but give me a break! I'm still getting used to this whole wet egg thing. I need an expansive egg transition period, you know!

Also, a note on bread variety: once you try several types, you will find that there are kinds that work much better than others. If your eggs are large, they may not fit inside some bread-holes. You might need to use a larger glass or biscuit cutter to make the hole, or you may need a larger piece of bread. It's up to you, of course. I do really like a rustic sort of sourdough or country loaf for this project, but sandwich bread also definitely works. I've also been known to split eggs when the bread was too small to contain a large hole. So many possibilities with these holes and eggs!

So all of this talk brings me to 9:06 pm. We officially spoiled our supper with after-work ice cream, so a late dinner-snack might be in order. And if the 8-Word Eggs refuse to wait until morning, who am I to hold them back? We all know that eggs really must be allowed to be eggs.