What could top fried cheese? Crispy fried eggs
I once asked a famous chef what his favorite food was, expecting an answer along the lines of caviar or foie gras or sea snail broth sipped from a shell.
He said fried cheese. No matter the incarnation — whether mozzarella sticks, cheese curds or those thin wafers of grated Parmesan or Asiago called frico — there are few things more deliciously craveable than a bite of molten fried cheese.
This recipe celebrates the lighter side of fried cheese, starring here as a golden crust for eggs. Crunchy and brittle, a fricolike halo envelops the fried eggs, giving them a potato chip appeal with a salty, funky depth. Take one bite and you may never fry up plain eggs again, not when the cheesy version is so easy to make.
Time: 40 minutes Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
Fine sea salt
1½ cups sugar snap peas,
trimmed
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely grated (not ground) Parmesan
4 eggs
Black pepper
1 medium head radicchio, cored and torn into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
¼ cup sliced pitted black olives,
such as Kalamata
½ cup halved cherry or grape
tomatoes
1 cup sliced cucumber,
preferably Persian or mini 8 oil-packed anchovy fillets
(optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon
juice, plus more to taste 1 small garlic clove, finely
grated or mashed to a paste ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus
more to taste ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
Large pinch of red-pepper flakes cup extra-virgin olive oil
LDirections
Fill a bowl with water and ice. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add peas and blanch for 1 minute. Drain the peas well and add to ice water to cool for a minute or two. Drain, pat dry, and halve the peas.
Make the dressing: Combine lemon juice, garlic, salt, black pepper and red-pepper flakes in small mixing bowl. Whisk in olive oil, then taste and add more lemon juice or salt, or both, if needed. Set aside.
Cook the eggs: Brush a thin layer of olive oil over the bottom of a 10-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet and place over medium heat. Sprinkle ½ cup Parmesan in an even layer covering the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes until cheese begins to melt.
Crack eggs onto cheese, then cover pan and cook until eggs are starting to set but are not cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and turn heat to medium-high to finish cooking eggs for another 1 to 2 minutes, until edges are crisp and golden brown. Make sure the cheese doesn’t get too brown; if it goes past light golden, turn down heat.
Season eggs with salt and pepper to taste. While eggs are cooking, in a large mixing bowl, toss remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, snap peas, radicchio, olives, cherry tomatoes and cucumber with the dressing. Taste and add salt or lemon juice, if needed. To serve, spread radicchio salad on large serving platter and place eggs on top. Grind on more pepper and garnish with anchovy fillets.