Email to Cat      

James Cagney Egg-in-a-Hole

Source of Recipe

From "One Good Dish" by David Tanis


Recipe Introduction

"As a child, I ate James Cagney eggs at least once a week. I didn’t know who James Cagney was, and my mother, who regularly made this dish for breakfast, never told me. Or I never asked. Only much later did I begin to wonder why a slice of bread with a hole punched out and an egg dropped in was named for a movie star who usually played gangsters. The buttered slice was gently fried in a skillet (the little punched-out bread round was fried too). A deft turn of the spatula meant the crisp bread hit the plate with a still-runny yolk inside. Like some other childhood food memories, the dish still haunts me, and I crave it from time to time—even if I do update it by using artisanal bread, a good egg, and olive oil, garlic, hot pepper, and sea salt."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 slice good bread
â—¦ Olive oil or butter
â—¦ 1 good egg
â—¦ Sea salt and pepper
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, sliced (optional)
â—¦ Pinch of red pepper flakes


Recipe

Using a small glass or a cookie cutter, punch a hole in the center of the bread. Lightly paint both sides of the bread with olive oil, as well as the punched-out round (or brush with butter if you prefer).

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, lay in the bread. Let it begin to sizzle, then crack the egg into the hole. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the garlic, if using. Brown the little round too, but be careful, as it will cook more quickly.

When the bread is golden on one side and the egg is partially set, quickly flip it with a spatula and continue cooking for a minute or two more. A runny yolk is the aim. Sprinkle the top lightly with salt and pepper and a few red pepper flakes.

Serves 1