I'm honestly worried nobody will read this post because of the rather...bizarre...title. There is a good reason for it, however: nobody can agree on the name for this British breakfast staple. It's essentially just pan-friend bread with a fried egg in the center, but I've heard it called several different things, including "Eggy in a Basket," "Toad in the Hole," and "Tiger's Eyes." That last one may be from the British colonies in India back in the day, since my husband's grandmother learned how to make them while raising kids in India. As such, my husband insists on calling it a "Tiger's Eye," even though I think that may be the least representative name so far.
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| I am tiger, see me glare. |
Regardless of what you call it, this simple dish is a major comfort food. It's also one of the few things my husband knows how to make really well, and since I am sick, he's been making it for himself quite a bit. It's so simple it doesn't really need a recipe, so I'll just walk you through it.
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| Like all good things, it starts with butter. |
Melt a good quantity of butter in a pan over medium heat. Keep the butter dish close at hand, you may need more later--this is not a low-fat breakfast option!
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| To quote one of our favorite doughnut places, the Magic is in the Hole! |
Take a slice of sandwich bread (I'm using wheat here, but my favorite is actually potato bread) and cut out/tear out a whole in the middle. Here's another area where my husband and I disagree. He likes to just free tear, but sometimes that makes it too small or too large. I prefer to use a juice glass, make an imprint, and then tear. You can do whatever makes you happy.
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| There is something absurdly tasty about bread fried in butter. |
Slip your bread - and the missing hole - into the pan of butter, and let it sizzle for a minute. Then, carefully crack and eye right into the center. Odds are, you won't get the whole egg in the middle but try to get the yolk in there. Let it fry for another minute or so, depending on how you like your eggs.
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| And there's the toad, gone in the hole. Or the egg in the basket. Or the tiger's...whatever. |
Now, you may want to add more butter to your pan, because when you flip your bread over, you want there to be plenty of butter underneath to brown and cook nicely. So add your butter, take your pan-friendly pancake turner, and flip the bread with the egg in the middle (and your missing piece)! Let this cook for just a minute or so, then remove onto a plate. Break the yolk, season with salt and pepper, and voila!
My significant other likes to dip the fried missing piece into the egg yolk. I like to break up the yolk and smear it all over my toast, then enjoy the missing pieces last with a tiny dollop of jam (have to get my sweet fix somehow). There's really no wrong way to eat it. Or make it, for that matter--if you don't mind the smoke and the splatter, you could pan fry some bacon, then cook your Tiger's Eye in the remaining grease. That sounds tasty! Unhealthy, but tasty! In any event, serve this with some tomato slices, maybe some melon, and a cup of English Breakfast tea. Lots of tea. And stay in bed. With tissue close at hand. And try not to get anyone else sick.
