Breakfast Kale (Sauté of Kale, Potato, and Onion, with Eggs, on Toast)

A favorite breakfast of mine is sautéed greens served on thick toast with poached or fried eggs on top. The yolk coating the greens and the crisp chewy toast makes for a great combination. There is a myriad variations on this theme, but the eggs and greens are the baseline. This is often made with leftover greens or potatoes. If you are not a fan of poached eggs, you could skip the potatoes, or simply cut the potatoes into small enough cubes that they will cook through while you fry them. Although it looks like a long recipe, it goes quickly.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch Scotch kale (or other kale or collards), stemmed, torn into bite-sized bits, and cleaned and drained

1 small to medium onion, diced around 3/16ths of an inch

2-3 medium Yukon Gold (or other waxy type) potatoes, cleaned and cut into ¼ inch dice, rinsed well

1 teaspoon, or to taste, fresh thyme, oregano, marjoram, or a combination, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tablespoons balsamic, white balsamic, or red-wine vinegar

4-8 slices of rustic country-style bread such as ciabatta, francese, pain de campagne, diagonally sliced ½ to ¾ of an inch thick and 5 inches long, grilled or toasted*

4-8 eggs (or as many as you wish), poached or fried so the yolk is runny (or to your liking, although this dish is about the runny yolk/vegetable interplay)

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4 strips thick-cut bacon, sliced across into ¼ inch wide batons and cooked

1-1½ cups seeded and diced tomatoes toss with a little white or plain balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper

1 cup of ¼-inch dice summer squash, tossed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and sautéed for 2 minutes to color before adding the kale

METHOD:

Heat a large heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Film well with oil and get oil hot. Add the diced potatoes and toss to coat, then spread out as evenly as possible. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing and scraping the pan bottom if needed, until the potatoes are evenly crisped on all sides and cooked through. If it seems they will burn before cooking through, add a couple ounces water and put a lid on the pan so they steam. This should cook them through quickly. Remove lid, let water evaporate, and brown the potato dice until crisp. Transfer to a bowl.

Ensure there is oil on the pan bottom and it is hot. Add the onions, toss to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Add half the herbs. Cook until onions are translucent, then add the garlic, stirring to prevent burning. Cook until fragrant. If using summer squash, now is the time to cook it.

Add the potatoes back to the pan and stir in. Scoot the vegetables to the perimeter of the pan, film lightly with oil, then add enough kale to fill the pan. Use tongs to turn the kale as it shrinks down. When it loses half its volume, use the tongs to turn it and incorporate the rest of the vegetables. Scoot them to the perimeter again, and add the rest of the kale, using the tongs to pull the vegetables from the pan edge and pile them on the new addition. Turn and toss as the kale shrinks.

When all the kale has cooked down, mix well. Scatter with the rest of the herbs, then drizzle the vinegar evenly over the pan. Turn to coat everything and then put a lid on the pan for 30 seconds.

If using bacon, add it now. Stir in, then remove pan from heat and keep warm.

While the kale is cooking, you should have prepped a pan for poaching or frying eggs. Start them cooking just as you are finishing the kale.

Lay the grilled bread/toast on 4 plates, and use tongs to cover the toast with kale. Don’t pat it down, as you want it fluffy if possible so the yolk has places to gather. Nestle eggs into the kale and season with flaky salt and some pepper, then scatter with tomatoes if using. Drizzle with some flavorful olive oil and serve hot, letting people know to pierce the yolk so it runs into the kale.

Chef’s Notes: * Toasting the bread is fine, but if you have it in you to take the time and grill the toasts so they take on a little char the flavor really adds to the dish. You could also sauté the bread in the pan you cook the kale, generously coating the bottom with oil and then getting it quite hot before adding the bread. Be sure not to crowd the pan or the temperature drops so much all you get is soggy bread. I often make this dish with leftover veg from the night before. This dish is great with corn and grilled peppers added to the mix. Don’t forget the hot sauce.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen