Italian Spinach Baked Eggs with Garlic Brown Butter Breadcrumbs

Eggs are clearly a breakfast staple.

It's easy to fall into a rut and eat the same thing over and over.

And we all have our excuses. No time, no ingredients, no money for the ingredients.

There are so many recipes that utilise eggs so when you think about it, the possibilities are endless!

I usually wait until the weekend before I try new recipes because that's when I have the most time available.

Now, I have never tried baked eggs before.

I figured it was simple enough and trust me it was.

I borrowed this recipe from How Sweet It Is, and only changed the cheese (mainly because my local food stores have never heard of Fontina cheese).

And I must say, it was amazing!

The next time I try this, I may use tomatoes or turkey bacon.

Fontina and Spinach Baked Eggs with Garlic Brown Butter Breadcrumbs

YIELD: SERVES ABOUT 3

TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES

Ingredients:

6 ounces fresh spinach

8 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated

8 large eggs

2-3 table spoons heavy cream or half and half

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

1/3 cup seasoned panko bread crumbs

chopped fresh herbs for topping

1 loaf of ciabatta, toasted and buttered

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Take fresh spinach and layer it evenly in the baking dish. Add about 1/2 of the grated cheese, then randomly place the eggs over top. I found it best to crack them in a dish first then gently place them on the spinach. If they fall through the cracks, no big deal! Cover the eggs with the salt and pepper, then drizzle the heavy cream over top and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, checking the eggs in the last few minutes to see how done they are. If you want the yolks completely cooked through, you may need an additional 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them! I ended up broiling my eggs on high (the rack was in the centre of the oven) just to bubble the cheese, but beware that this does cook the yolks a bit more.

While the eggs are baking, add butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly while it bubbles. The minute brown bits begin to form on the bottom of the pan, remove from heat and whisk for an additional 30 seconds. Let butter stand for 2 minutes, then add in minced garlic and whisk. Add in panko and stir well to coat and combine.

Once eggs are finished, remove from the oven and cover with breadcrumbs and fresh herbs. Serve immediately with toast and butter!

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