What's for Breakfast? Eggs with Creamed Spinach and Mustard Croutons

 

Breakfast can be tricky sometimes, usually because it's the last thing on our minds when we're buying groceries for the week and rarely remember to get ingredients specifically for that Saturday morning nosh. As a result we usually end up with some sort of egg concoction, heading out for brunch, or skipping breakfast all together and eating grilled cheese and tomato soup (not that there's anything wrong with that).

What can I say...I'm a fan of the lazy Saturday morning.

This time we again did not have a plan of action, but were able to create something amazingly delicious from the few items we had on hand. It was the unused bunch of spinach that inspired the dish, and we just happened to have on hand all the rest of the ingredients we needed: eggs, a baguette, mustard, olive oil, and half and half. That's all it took to create this deceptively simple dish.


Making the Dish

(Serves: 2)

2 large eggs
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 fresh baguette
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp peppr
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup half and half

The dish is three parts: the eggs, the creamed spinach, and the mustard croutons. We start with the croutons first since they need some time to bake. Preheat your oven to 375 to get started. We took half a baguette and chopped it up into small bits. This is actually harder than it sounds, since the bread gives way to the knife less easily than say, a steak. So just keep that in mind and be careful not to cut your fingers off while doing this.

Bread chunks are seasoned and tossed with herbs and Dijon mustard. 

Next, season the bread pieces in a bowl. Add in your dijon mustard, the oregano, touch of thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil, and then toss everything together until the bread is nicely coated. Spread the pieces out onto a baking dish and put into the oven. Let these cook while you do the rest, about 8 - 12 minutes, until they are nice and crispy.

Seasoned croutons are in the baking dish, ready to get baked and crispy.

Next comes the creamed spinach. Steam your spinach first to get it just wilted, but not all the way cooked through. Remove it from the steamer and press the remaining water out of it with a paper towel. Then, add it into a small sauce pan. Add in your dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and oregano, and a touch of your half and half, and then mix it all together and heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Bring the heat to a simmer and stir around, letting the sauce thicken up while you make your eggs.

Spinach simmering in a sauce of Dijon mustard and half and half. 

The eggs are the simpler part - cook them sunny side up. We're not fans of runny eggs so we made sure to get them as cooked through as possible. Open the eggs up onto a hot non-stick pan (add some cooking spray too if you think it will help) and try to group the egg together as it cooks. Move it around so that it doesn't stick, and fold over the outside of the egg white onto itself so that it doesn't get overcooked. You'll want to cook it as long as possible to make sure the inside gets cooked through, but cook it too long and it will get tough and chewy - no good.

One egg, sunny side up. 

Pull it all together by plating the spinach, topping it with the egg, and then scattering bits of your crispy mustard croutons all over the top.

The Result

Egg with creamed spinach and mustard croutons, topped with freshly ground pepper. 

When all is said and done, you'll have created a delicious, complex breakfast dish with minimal ingredients and effort. Given how simple this whole thing is, how quickly it comes together, and the stunning flavor of the final result, we can surely say we'll be revisiting this dish over and over in the future.

Egg with creamed spinach and mustard croutons, served with a baguette. 

Give this one a try and let us know what you think of it!