A lot of people are going to disagree with me here, but I am not the biggest bread fan overall. Bread is great, especially when done right, but it can be filling and sometimes bland. It seems like it gets in the way of the other stuff that it rests upon. Obviously this is not always the case, but in the case of English muffins, it usually is for me. That made the concept of eggs Benedict kind of meh to me, even though I like the rest of it. Yolky-butter sauce? YES! Poached eggs? YES! Let's make hash browns eggs Benedict!
When I saw the idea of eggs Benedict atop one of my favorite breakfast food items, I knew it would be a win. You can't go wrong with potatoes! Though shredded hash browns aren't my favorite form of hashed brown (that would be chunky buttery ones, a la this hash brown with goat cheese recipe) they are perfect for eggs Benedict. They act as a little edible potato plate and soak up the Hollandaise sauce and creamy poached egg yolk so well.
Are you an English muffin person or are you leaning more towards putting your eggs benny on these hash browns? If it's the latter, let's get on with the recipe!
Notes on Poaching Eggs
I have never in my life poached an egg using the traditional method until I started experimenting with this recipe a few weeks ago. Before that, I used egg poaching boats, which suck because it's easy to split the yolk when removing it from them and it looks like you don't know how to poach eggs because they are shaped like the silicone egg boat.
I researched best methods and here are my top easily implementable tricks to really poach an egg well without a little silicone egg boat.
- Add white vinegar to the water.
- Strain the whites. Crack the egg into a small strainer, and let a little of the white drip through. Only a little will, and that's the part that would make weird stringy parts in the water if you poached without straining. After straining it, place the remaining white and intact yolk into a ramekin.
- Set a timer! Do it. Set it for 3 minutes and don't walk away. But also don't fiddle with the egg once it's in the water.
- Have confidence but be gentle. You can do it! And please, BUY this strainer, you'll not regret it.
Here's the recipe! It goes quickly, so dedicate all your time to it while you have three separate components going.
Hash Browns Eggs Benedict
Equipment
- 1 mini mesh metal strainer
- 3 ramekins
Ingredients
Hollandaise Sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- salt to taste
Poached Egg
- 1 egg
- 2-3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Hash Browns
- 1 cup frozen shredded hasbrowns
- ½ tablespoon salted butter
- 1 small handful microgreens optional
- black ground peppercorns to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saute pan for the hash browns over medium heat. Cook according to package directions — most frozen hash browns will take 10-12 minutes with a flip halfway through.
- While the hash browns are cooking, set the water in the small pot to boil.
- Melt the tablespoon of butter in a microwave safe cup or bowl for the hollandaise sauce.
- Separate an egg yolk into a ramekin. Add lemon juice and salt. Set aside. Leave the egg white in a separate ramekin for later.
- Stir the hasbrowns if needed.
- Pour the melted butter slowly into the egg yolk-lemon mixture while constantly whisking to keep it from cooking the eggs. Whisk whisk whisk. Set aside.
- Place the small strainer over a different ramekin and gently crack a whole egg into it. Some of the white will strain through, but not all of it.
- Put the vinegar into the boiling water and set the heat to low. Stir up a spoon tornado in the water.
- Lift the strainer with the egg yolk and some white from the ramekin, and gently slip it into the swirl of water. Set a timer for 3 minutes and don't touch the egg anymore until the timer goes off.
- Plate the hash browns, they should be done by now.
- Lift the poached egg from the water using a slotted spoon and place on the hash browns. If the hash browns are not ready, set the poached egg aside on a small plate, carefully.
- Stir the hollandaise sauce again and drizzle over the egg and hash browns.
- Garnish with microgreens, salt and pepper to taste. Eat immediately.
Eggs Benedict Variations
There are many ways to Benedict your eggs, and the one above is merely the basic recipe. You can also do them:
- Florentine, with cooked spinach
- Traditional, with Canadian bacon
- California, with a tomato slice and avocado
- With regular bacon
What To Do With Leftover Egg Whites
You'll have about one and a half egg yolks per eggs Benedict you make with this recipe. There's no need to waste them, re-heat the hash brown pan with a little extra oil, and cook the egg white over medium heat.
Scramble them until set, and serve them once cooled to the dog that's been watching you cook this whole time.
Other Egg Recipes
Savory, Cheesy Dutch Baby with Microgreens
I Miss A Vegetarian Full Scottish Breakfast
