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Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich (New York City Deli-Style)

Source of Recipe

From "Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys" by Lucinda Quinn


Recipe Introduction

"As most city parents know, at an all-too-early age, your kids rush out in the early morning on their way to school. You beg them to eat breakfast first, but instead, if anything, they stop before school at the bagel shop or snack truck for fast food. When I watched our oldest son and his friend spend their entire junior year in high school perfecting a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich to rival that of their favorite deli version, a lightbulb went off: replicate the sandwich, wrap it just right in parchment or foil, and hand each boy a portable breakfast as he heads out the door in the morning. As I learned from the boys, the magic combination is two eggs, not scrambled (but yolk broken), with melted cheese on each egg, served on a lightly buttered, griddled (not toasted) 'everything' bagel."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 everything bagel, or bagel of choice
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 1 thin slice cheese, such as American or Cheddar
â—¦ 2 to 3 slices cooked bacon
â—¦ Hot sauce and/or ketchup, for serving


Recipe

Slice the bagel in half. Butter the halves and toast them in a toaster oven (or use a griddle if you have one). If using a regular pop-up toaster, butter the halves after they're toasted. Meanwhile, heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet.

Add the remaining butter to the skillet.
Carefully crack in both eggs. As soon as the whites set up on the bottom, puncture the yolks. Place a slice of cheese on one egg and top with the bacon. Place the other egg, yolk side down, on top of the bacon (like an egg-on-egg sandwich).

Lift the whole egg pile onto one toasted bagel half. Top with the other half of the bagel and lightly press together. Serve immediately or wrap halfway in parchment or foil. Douse with hot sauce or dip in ketchup for maximum effect.

Makes 1



• Abbreviated Breakfast Sandwich:
If you're in a hurry and your guys are about to run out the door, pile a couple of scrambled eggs on a toasted and buttered roll. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper, wrap in foil or parchment, and tuck a bit of paper towel in one of the outside seams. Put it in their backpacks or hand them off as they go.

• Quick Bacon:
When you have some extra time, cook a pound or two of bacon. If you are cooking a lot of bacon, bake it in the oven. If pressed for time and making a smaller amount, use a skillet, but pay close attention since bacon goes from barely cooked to burned very easily. Drain, cool, and wrap in plastic, three strips per package. Freeze and pull out as needed for a quick breakfast or sandwich. Ten seconds in the microwave or a minute in a preheated pan and the bacon is ready to use.

• Bagels:
Buy fresh bagels in quantity when possible. As soon as you get home, cut each one in half, place the two halves in a sealed bag, and freeze immediately. Optimum freshness will be preserved, and frozen bagel halves can go straight into the toaster — a much better alternative to day-old dry bagels or whole bagels you have to defrost before toasting. One caution: Beware the poppy seed bagel — it sheds its seeds in the freezer after a boy rips the bag, which one inevitably will do.