Secret to the best fried eggs? Herb butter
My meal mantra as of late, due to fatigue from almost a year of nonstop cooking, has been simple: Put an egg on it. This is hardly a new notion, but it has provided me with great comfort throughout these unsettled months, where I find myself staring into the fridge at a total loss of what to cook.
There are so many ways to put an egg on it (like pasta, or avocado toast) but it’s these crispy fried eggs over creamy, lemon-zested Greek yogurt and garlicky greens, all topped with smoky, spicy sage butter that I’ve been turning to on repeat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It hits all the high flavor and textural notes of a fancy restaurant meal, and yet it’s humble and wholesome — and so easy to pull together.
This recipe is inspired by a traditional Turkish dish called cilbir, which involves poached eggs served over garlicky yogurt and drizzled with melted, spice-infused butter. But as much as I enjoy a perfect poached egg, nothing beats the crispy, lacy edges that only come from cracking an egg into a hot, oily skillet and frying it — which is why fried eggs star in my twist on the classic.
A generous serving of sauteed kale is sandwiched between the yogurt and eggs to turn the bowl into a balanced meal, and the melted butter is infused with sage leaves, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes.
The sage leaves are my favorite part — in addition to lending an earthy, sweet flavor to the butter, they become a crunchy, chip-like garnish for each bowl.
The flexibility here is intentional. Top your bowl with one or two fried eggs, depending on how hungry you are, and serve it whenever you need a satisfying meal, whether morning, noon or night.
Be sure to serve with pita or another type of flatbread if you’ve got it, since you’ll have a marvelous mix of yogurt, runny egg yolks and melted butter to swipe up.