I eat this often as a quick breakfast. Eggs get cracked on top of delicous Bread Crumbs and broiled, giving them nice crispy edges and bottoms. The seasoned bread crumbs in this dish reminds me of a very good breakfast sausage, minus the sausage. I’ve added Kale to the original recipe because 1) I always eat greens with my eggs 2) in my oven, the breadcrumbs on the edges would get burnt, and the kale protects them 3) The kale crisps up too and it’s so nice!

I cook up big batches of kale every weekend to have on hand for quick breakfasts. I also make big batches of these seasoned bread crumbs when I have dry bread, so that I can have them on hand to make these eggs, but also to top gratins, soups and salads. This recipe needs to be made with breadcrumbs from a rustic type loaf, not sandwich bread. I use gluten-free sourdough. I found the original recipe too salty (maybe the cheese I’m using is saltier?) So, I do not add any salt to the breadcrumbs and top it with finishing salt if needed.  

I adapted this recipe from one posted on Food 52. It’s from the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. I have a really nice memory of being taken there once for a thank you dinner for the cast of a show I was in. The show was in a developmental residency at the time in San Francisco and I was having an absolute ball working on it. I did not know it at the time, but folks who were in that cast and at that table in the year 2000 would 24 years later would become my husband and some of my very best friends.

Eggs with Crispy Breadcrumbs and Kale

Make in advance

Sauteed Kale with garlic

1. Wash about 4 large bunches of flat black kale (aka dinosaur kale or cavalo nero. Remove the woody stems by grasping the stem with both hands.and running one hand, down the stem to pull the leaves off while the other one grabs firmly. I save kale stems to use in soup stock.
2. Roughly chop the greens.
3. Heat a glug of olive oil in a wide pan with high sides (I use a cast iron dutch oven).
4. Add the still damp greens to the pan with a generous sprinkle of salt (I use smoked salt). If there are too many greens to fit wait for them to wilt and then force more in.
5. While the greens cook smash, peel and mince half a head of garlic (4-6 cloves). Once the greens have become tender, the liquid has evaporated and the greens have just started to sizzle a bit, toss in the minced garlic, give a few stirs and turn the heat off. The garlic will cook as the greens cool.
6. These can be stored for up to a week in a sealed container in the fridge.

Seasoned breadcrumbs

This makes just enough for four eggs, but if you have more bread I recommend doubling or even tripling this recipe. I find that the bread crumb mixture keeps very well.

• 1 cup of course bread crumbs made from rustic bread (I use gluten-free sourdough)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoons chile flakes (I use aleppo chili)
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 Tablespoons grated pecorino romano

Crush the fennel seeds, chili flakes and black peppercorns in a mortar & pestle. You can use a spice grinder, but be careful not to grind them to much. Combine the spices with the breadcrumbs and grated pecorino romano

Making the eggs

With the greens and breadcrumbs made in advance, this dish takes less than 5 minutes to make, so I often make this as a quick breakfast for just myself. The recipe here is for 4 eggs. When I make it for just me, I half it.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• I cup of the seasoned breadcrumbs
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of sauteed kale
• The juice squeezed from half a lemon
• maldone salt (if needed)
• Paprika (optional but nice)

1. Preheat the broiler
2. Heat the oil over medium high heat in an oven safe skillet (I use a small cast iron)
3. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to coat with oil. Spread the crumbs in an even layer and then create a little well for each egg. 
4. Crack the eggs into the spots you have created. Ideally the yolks sit in the wells, while the whites spread to cover the bread crumbs.
5. Arange the kale around the edge of the pan.
6. When the white are almost set, move the pan into the broiler to set the yolks to the level of doneness that you like. This timing will vary based on your tastes and your broiler. I do mine for 2 minutes.
7. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice (crucial in my opinion) and a sprinkle of finishing salt and paprika.