Sweet Potato Eggs BenedictIt’s one of those days where I spent half the morning day dreaming of breakfast before actually pulling myself out of bed to go to the grocery store. I knew that I wanted eggs benedict, but decided to forgo the muffin or biscuit in favor of sweet potato.  4 large Eggs1 stick of ButterJuice of 1 Lemon1 large Sweet Potato1 tbsp White Vinegar Extra Virgin Olive OilSaltPaprikaChives for garnish
Bring water to a rolling boil in sauce pan and add vinegar. Slice a thick round of the sweet potato, season with salt and paprika. Saute on low medium heat with a bit of olive oil, flipping to brown both sides until cooked through. Separate three of the egg yolks from the whites. Blend yolks with a stick blender (or regular blender). Melt butter (I used a microwave). While butter is still hot, pour in a steady steam in to yolks while running the blender. Sauce should begin to thicken. Add the lemon juice and blend for another minute or two. Crack egg into a small bowl and slip into boiling water. Remove from water after 4 minutes. Arrange sweet potato on a plate, top with poached egg and drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Garnish with chopped chives.My sauce was thinner than I wanted because I let the butter cool too much before adding it to the egg yolk. Multi-tasking is a real skill, folks.

I was elected to make Christmas Eve brunch at my dad’s this year. My interest in cooking – like actually cooking – has only developed over the last few years, so much of my family has never tasted anything prepared by my glorious (?) hands. Since this was my big debut with my dad, I pulled out the big guns and tapped Ina Garten for a recipe. I knew I wanted to do some sort of baked eggs, and her Herb-Baked Eggs were just too delicious sounding to pass up.
Can I just say that I love adorable Ina Garten? I want her to invite me over for a leisurely lunch in the Hamptons. We could drink homemade sangria and snip fresh flowers from her garden.


Herbed-Baked Eggs (via Ina Garten)1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan6 extra-large eggs2 tablespoons heavy cream1 tablespoon unsalted butterKosher salt and freshly ground black pepperToasted French bread or brioche, for serving

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.
Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won’t be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It’s very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)
Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren’t cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.
A few notes: I used oregano instead of rosemary. Also, since I was cooking for five people, I opted to bake everything in a large glass pan. I used more than six eggs – I just eyed the proportions of ingredients. Careful to not overcook the eggs – you want the yolks to be runny.
I served the herbed eggs with some baked tomatoes with homemade breadcrumbs. The tomatoes tasted fine, but I think the idea needs a little refinement before I post a recipe here. The eggs were great with slices of lightly toasted bread. I will definitely be making this again.
A few weeks ago when I was on the West coast, I took a bus up to Bellingham, where I went to college. The city’s changed quite a bit since I left, but I managed to see some of my favorite places while I was there, one being Whatcom Falls. The river was pretty insane that day. The trees were just pretty.