Hi all,
We’re doing breakfast this week, a slightly nicer-than-usual breakfast that I’ve been treating myself to lately when I have a bit more time to lie around and enjoy my morning meal. I saw this sage butter egg combo first at Towpath Cafe in Hackney, and was mesmerized by how much the nutty browned butter upgraded the standard fried eggs. Dip a slice of sourdough in the runny yolk and swipe through the infused butter, and you’ll feel like you’re in a trendy East London cafe, minus the price tag.
It’s tough to even call this a recipe - it’s just eggs cooked sunny side up, and if you do that at home already then you know how to make this. The only thing we’re doing differently here is starting things off by building a base of flavor for the eggs to cook in, taking on all that deliciousness as they crisp up and set. By swirling them around in the pan we’ll coax the butter up over the edges, speckling the eggs with toasty sage-y bits of flavor. I’ve been loving this particular sage brown butter version lately, but you could bump up your eggs using this method and all kinds of different variations - another herb butter, your favorite chili crisp, toasted nuts and seeds, whatever calls to you from the pantry.
Sage butter eggs
Serves 1, multiply ingredients for more people and cook the eggs in batches
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2T butter
8-12 leaves fresh sage
Flaky salt
Bread (for dipping, sourdough is my pick)
Method:
Place the pan on medium-low heat and add the butter. Let it melt slowly, swirling and stirring it around the pan until it becomes foamy with very small bubbles. You’ll start to see brown flecks as the milk fat toasts and it will begin to smell nutty.
When the butter starts to brown, add the fresh sage leaves. Try to keep them flat so the full leaf is in contact with the butter - I like to use small metal tongs to maneuver these, but a fork will also work. Let them sizzle, then flip after about 20 seconds. Sizzle again, then lift them out of the butter and set aside flat on a paper towel.
Crack the eggs directly into the brown butter. If you’re using more than two eggs, depending on the size of your pan you may want to cook these in batches as you’ll need a little room around the sides. Let the whites set for a few seconds, then gently swirl the pan around so that the butter comes up around the edges. Keep cooking and swirling until the eggs are set to your liking and the edges are speckled with toasty brown butter.
Slide the eggs and some remaining brown butter on to your plate, then top with the now-crispy fried sage. Sprinkle all over with flaky salt. Serve with bread (toasted and buttered if you like) for dipping in the yolks.
Have a great week,
Susanna