Bacon and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwiches with a Twist and Style of Preparing

JD

October 07, 2019

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breakfast, brunch, sandwich recipe

No portable breakfast is as satisfying as the breakfast sandwich. You can buy one almost anywhere—a fast-food drive-through, corner bodega, or school cafeteria—but unless you like soggy bread, cold cheese, and
rubbery eggs, your best option might be to make them at home. We started with our tried and true fried eggs, cooked in bacon fat for a great flavor bonus. After a minute over the heat, the eggs got topped with bacon and cheddar cheese. Covering the pan and letting it sit off the heat let the eggs cook through gently and gave the cheese time to melt. Tomato and baby spinach added freshness, and a simple mixture of
mayonnaise and hot sauce gave our sandwiches just the right amount of richness and tang. If there’s not enough fat left in the skillet after cooking the bacon in step 2, add enough vegetable oil to measure 1 tablespoon.

Serves:4;
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients 

4 English muffins, split
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon hot sauce
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper
6 slices bacon
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1½ ounces (1½ cups) baby spinach
4 thin tomato slices

Cooking Procedure

1. Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Spread insides of muffins evenly with butter and arrange split side up on rimmed baking sheet. Combine mayonnaise and hot sauce in bowl; set
aside. Crack 2 eggs into small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining 2 eggs and second small bowl.
2. Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, 7 to 9 minutes; transfer to paper towel–lined plate. When cool enough to handle, break each slice in half. Broil muffins until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through broiling. Flip muffins and broil until just crisp on second side, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside while cooking eggs.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and heat over mediumhigh heat until shimmering. Working quickly, pour 1 bowl of eggs in 1 side of pan and second bowl of eggs in other side. Cover and cook for 1
minute.
4. Working quickly, top each egg with 3 pieces bacon and ¼ cup cheddar. Cover pan, remove from heat, and let stand until cheddar is melted and egg whites are cooked through, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread mayonnaise mixture on muffin bottoms and place 1 bacon and cheese-topped egg on each. Divide spinach evenly among sandwiches, then top with tomato slices and muffin tops. Serve.

Sausage and American Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches - Variation
Substitute ketchup for hot sauce. Substitute 8 ounces bulk breakfast sausage, formed into four 4-inch patties, for bacon. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage patties and cook until well browned and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side; transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Substitute 4 slices deli American cheese (4 ounces) for shredded cheddar cheese.

DIY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE - Chef's Cooking Style Masterpiece

You can absolutely use store-bought sausage to make our Sausage and American Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches—and it’s definitely a faster option—but if you want to make your own, it’s supersimple. We start with ground pork, then amp up its mild flavor with classic breakfast sausage flavors: garlic, sage, thyme, and cayenne pepper. A spoonful of maple syrup sweetens the patties nicely. Avoid lean or extra-lean ground pork; it makes the sausage dry, crumbly, and less flavorful. This sausage also makes a great accompaniment to other breakfast classics, such as Perfect Scrambled Eggs or Overnight Yeasted Waffles.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage - Chef's Cooking Style Masterpiece

Makes 16 patties
Combine 2 pounds ground pork, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 teaspoons dried sage, 1½ teaspoons pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper in large bowl. Gently mix with hands until well combined. Using greased ¼-cup measure, divide mixture into 16 patties and place on rimmed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, then gently flatten each one until ½ inch thick. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook half of patties until well browned on both sides and cooked through, turning once, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate and tent with aluminum foil. Wipe out skillet. Repeat with 1 tablespoon butter and remaining patties. (Uncooked patties can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen and stored in a zipper-lock bag for up to 1 month. For frozen patties, increase cooking time to 14 to 18 minutes.)