Shirred Eggs with Potato Puree
Eggs and potatoes. Really, that's all you'll need to provide you and and your loved ones a cozy, comforting, creamy dish to savor slowly, spoonful-by-spoonful. If you already have some leftover mashed potatoes in the frig, as I did, it's as simple as cracking a few eggs on top and baking in a water bath for 10-15 minutes.
Ms. Reichl served this for breakfast, but it's equally good for supper. I used 5" diameter ramekins (compared to her 3"- 4"), so the amounts below are double her's. I also reduced the amount of butter and subbed milk for the heavy cream, topping the finished dish with scallions from our garden. Crumbled, crispy bacon or a dollop of duxelles would be delicious as well!
Shirred Eggs with Potato Puree
Adapted from My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl
Makes 4 supper-size servings
Notes: I used 5" diameter ramekins, so amounts given below are double Reichl's original recipe.
Prepare the potato puree, aka mashed potatoes!
Place in a large pot and cover with an inch of cold water:
8-10 (2 lbs) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" slices
1 tsp sea salt
Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until you can pierce potatoes easily with a fork. Drain potatoes, then mash using either a ricer or potato masher.
Using a microwave, melt in a Pyrex 2-cup measuring cup:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
Add to the melted butter:
1 1/2 cups milk (or heavy cream or mixture of the two)
Whisk the cream mixture into the mashed potatoes until incorporated and smooth. Season to taste with:
salt
pepper
Time now to assemble each serving and prepare a water bath.
Preheat oven to 375°F and put a kettle of water on to boil.
Butter or spray four 5" diameter ramekins. (If you skip this step, be prepared to scrub those ramekins hard when it comes time to wash them. The baked eggs have a tendency to really stick!)
Divide potato puree evenly between the four ramekins, leveling the tops.
Divide between the four ramekins, gently cracking and keeping the yolk whole:
8 large eggs
Place ramekins into a deep baking dish. Pour boiling water into baking dish so the waterline is about halfway up the ramekins. Be careful not to splash water on yourself or into the ramekins.
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Bake for another 5 minutes or so, until whites are set, but yolks are still runny. Remove from oven, place each ramekin on a plate and top or offer diners with any of the following:
black lava salt
scallions or chives
parsley
crumbled bacon
grating of parmesan
feta or goat cheese
Comments