Egg sandwich, the classic New York on the go, breakfast. For the almost 20 years that I lived in New York, I embraced this morning ritual of city life. I would scurry along with the throngs of other New Yorkers rushing to get on the subway to their prospective jobs, auditions, or whatever gathering they were rushing to. But first, there was a stop at the local bodega, or classic New York deli, to pick up a freshly made egg sandwich. Along with the traditional bagel and cream cheese, egg sandwiches are consumed by thousands of city dwellers across the metropolis every morning. It’s the perfect portable breakfast: a hot egg, usually bacon or ham, cheese, and some butter or mayo. If you wanted to be fancy, you could ask if the deli had some avocado or tomato. The better delis had them, but usually, that was it. I don’t know how many I hurriedly devoured on my way to a work call at the theater, but I’m sure it’s in the many hundreds.
A couple of years back, I saw a good friend of mine from the makeup department. He was eagerly eating this beautiful egg sandwich that was far beyond the norm. He told me about this little counter service stall called Egg Head that had just opened up a couple of blocks from the theater. It looked absolutely delicious. The egg looked just runny with some glorious yolk slowly oozing out, and there was loads of stuff between the toasted bun. Of course, I had to get one of these amazing egg sandwiches on my next day’s work call. Egg Head, it turned out, was an offshoot of a trendy rooftop bar and restaurant that they had hoped to turn into a chain. Their sandwiches had a fried egg, cheese, a slice of tomato, a spicy aioli, bacon. They sprinkled with crispy shallots to gild the lily. All of that was surrounded by a soft toasted brioche bun. You could add avocado, too, which of course I had to indulge. It was definitely the best egg sandwich I had ever had. The bun and the aioli and the crispy shallots all added something to the classic egg sandwich in all the right ways. In particular, the spicy aioli (spicy mayo for those not in the foodie know!) added just the right amount of heat and flavor to take this masterpiece over the top to heavenly.
Sadly, though they always seemed busy and usually had a line out the door at breakfast time, they closed out of the blue one day. I walked up from the subway to the windows, and they were all boarded up, never to serve those delicious breakfast sandwiches again. That was a sad day. Even though they were only around for a year or so, and I have now moved on from New York, if you asked me what I missed from New York, these sandwiches from Egg Head would be right up at the top of my list.
Playing around with the Korean Chili Dip from last week, I realized that the dip tasted very similar to the spicy aioli from that beloved sandwich. I decided to lather some on my next breakfast sandwich. I still make them quite often at home here in Colorado, as I enjoy them so. Adding a smear of this dip was a revelation. Along with some of the crispy shallots, this is the closest I could come to that sorely missed egg sandwich of yore. Of course, now I will have to make more of that dip, as I plan on having many more egg sandwiches in the future, and it is the perfect spread.
That is all for this week. I hope you are staying safe and healthy out there and think of others in what you do. Till next time!
- 1 slice bacon
- 1 soft brioche bun seeds or not
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon Spicy Korean Dip see recipe on whattomunch.com
- 1 tablespoon Crispy shallots from the Korean spicy dip recipe
- 1 slice tomato
- ¼ of a ripe avocado sliced thin
- 1 thin slice of cheese Manchego, cheddar, swiss, pepper jack, or American
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Fry the bacon until crisp on a griddle or skillet over medium heat. When the bacon is crisp, set aside to drain on a paper towel or two. Keep a little grease in the pan. Reserve the remaining if you want to fry the eggs with the grease.
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Take the bun and toast open sides down in some of the bacon grease left in the pan until nicely golden brown. Set aside.
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Grease the pan with the remaining bacon grease or vegetable oil and fry the two eggs to your desired doneness. Over easy is perfect for this sandwich. But not everyone likes a runny yolk.
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Assemble the sandwich by first spreading the spicy Korean dip on the bottom bun, then sprinkle the shallots over the spread. Top with the egg and the slice of cheese, tomato, avocado, bacon, and finally the top bun.
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Serve hot.
