Simple Herbed Fried Eggs for St. Pat's Brunch

 

My friend Lana is a cocktail aficionado and she's just started a gorgeous blog about booze. She asked me if I'd like to create a meal for St. Patrick's Day and she'd develop a cocktail to pair with it—of course I said yes!

I decided to write up one of my favorite brunch recipes. This simple dish of fried eggs with fresh herbs is one of those meals that's somehow rustic and elegant at the same time; it is incredibly easy, verdant, and nutritious. It ain't corned beef and cabbage but—paired with this fabulous Pear and Mint Mojito—it is a celebration of green!

 
I love how this dish and accompanying drink highlight fresh herbs. The green is wonderful for St. Paddy's Day but the herbs aren't just a garnish, they're an integral part of the flavor and brightness of the meal.  

 

Herbs are also a wonderful way to pack extra nutrition into a meal, with minimal added calories. For example, a tablespoon of parsley is only one calorie but provides eight percent RDA of Vitamin C, six percent of Vitamin A, and 77% of Vitamin K. A tablespoon of chives is one calorie and provides three percent of vitamins A and C, as well as eight percent of Vitamin K. A lot of nutritional bang for your caloric buck!

You can use any fresh herbs you enjoy or happen to have growing on your windowsill. I used parsley, chives, and scallion greens—I pretty much always have these  on hand, as they're personal favorites. I also love basil or dill with this dish. Eggs are so versatile and work well with really any herbs.

I love eggs cooked in olive oil, so I used some EVOO that Pompeian was kind enough to send me. Jealous much?

Ingredients

• olive oil
• pat of butter or ghee
• eggs
• chopped fresh herbs
• salt and pepper

I use a well-seasoned cast iron pan, but any heavy pan works great for egg frying. Over medium heat, warm the pan for a couple of minutes. Add a thin layer of olive oil and a pat of butter or ghee. Crack your eggs into the pan and lower the heat. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Cook until the eggs are set on the bottom. then cover the pan until the whites are set and the yolks are as you like them (cook less for soft and runny, cook a bit longer for more firm yolks). 

Turn off the heat and top with a generous amount of the fresh herbs. Let the heat of the eggs wilt the herbs. Serve right away.

I accidentally broke the yolk on this one. I'm including it to show you that food bloggers make mistakes in the kitchen, too. I'm not about pretending to do everything just right; I don't. I just threw some extra herbs on it and called it a day. By the way, it still tasted amazing. Perfectly imperfect.
 

 

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day and celebrate the green on your plate. Sláinte!

Wondering if you can drink while you're breastfeeding? Check out our post on it!