A year ago, I would never have made this sandwich. Because a year ago I didn’t like egg yolks. I mean, it’s not that I didn’t like egg yolks, per se, but more that I was afraid of them. So runny! So gooey! So…yolky! And then, somehow, I decided I needed to woman up and get into the yolk.
My ex and I used to go to this cute little gastropub on weekend mornings and sit in a cushy booth and he’d order a super thickly sliced piece of toast with sautéed greens and beans and a hella runny fried egg on it. I’d pick at it until I finally got up the courage to actually eat the whole darn thing. I didn’t run from the yolk, I embraced it. I let it move its way around the plate, slicking bread crumbs and greens as it did, bringing everything together on its journey to my lips.
I took a bite. A big bite of yolkiness. And you know what? I liked it.
Since then, I’m still timid with my yolks. I can count the number of eggs I’ve fried in my life on two hands, and half of them were for people who are not me. But here’s the thing: When I started eating meat a couple years ago, there were just so many foods I’d never tried (bacon! hamburgers! hot dogs! lobster! the list goes on) that I was tired of being afraid of.
So I tried everything. Just a bite. And then more if I wanted it. I started with beef tartare (I know—go big or go home). And though most meat tasted good, or just ok, I never wanted whole plates of it. At heart, I’m mostly a plant eater.
Having grown up in a home where there was a lot of holier-than-thouness about food culture, though, I was resolved never to bring that attitude to the table. Hence, trying things. Like yolks.
But yolks I like. Yolks can stay.
This sandwich is my attempt to replicate my absolute favorite breakfast sando at Superba Food & Bread in Venice, California. Theirs is slathered with butter and avocado, topped with what they call sautéed kale but is very clearly fried, a fried egg, and hot chili oil.
This version features the avo and butter (who would I be if I changed that part of it?), and adds in a dreamy double layer of spicy baked kale chips. The fried egg rests luxuriously atop that crispy cushion, and is topped with toasted sesame seeds and pepitas.
Welcome to your new go-to any-time-of-day egg sandwich. It’s got all the food groups!
Ingredients
- 1 slice thick seeded bread or bread of your choice
- 1 or 2 eggs
- 3 leaves large kale
- teaspoon few drizzles olive oil + 1 olive oil for egg frying
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- butter to taste
- avocado to taste
- sea salt & pepper to taste
- toasted sesame seeds and pepitas to taste
Instructions
- Preheat (toasteoven to 350º. Wash and dry your kale, and tear leaves off stems in chip-size pieces. Lay leaf pieces on baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with a few pinches of sea salt and ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes. Toss lightly and place in (toasteoven, making sure leaves are laying as flat as possible (this is crucial for crispiness.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes, checking for crispness. Allow to bake longer, if needed, but don’t burn! They’re done when they’re dark green and crisp, and maybe just starting to brown the tiniest bit. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Place slice of bread on the baking pan and put it back in the oven for a couple minutes, to get warm. Remove before it browns.
- Now fry your egg(s): Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a cast iron or frying pan, and heat until it sizzles. Crack egg into pan and let the magic happen for at least 1-2 minutes. Then cover with a lid to let your yolk cook just a little more. It’s done when you want it to be done.
- Slather your bread with butter. Add a layer of avocado. Add some salt and pepper. Stack on the crispy kale leaves. Top with your fried egg! Add more chile flakes if you want, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and pepitas.
- Yolky yum.
