Twice Baked Potatoes with Poached Eggs

Twice baked potatoes are such a treat as a side dish for dinner, but have you ever thought about them for breakfast? How about a poached egg snuggled into the top of a light, fluffy and buttery twice baked potato and then topped with some melted cheddar cheese? And with a side of sausage or spicy turkey breakfast patties, it makes a great meal for a cozy winter morning.

I’m one of those people who wakes up hungry, so to avoid a long drawn out preparation time, I baked the potatoes and mixed up the turkey patty recipe the night before. I baked the potatoes until they were almost done and let them cool a bit before tossing them in the fridge, still snug and steamy in their foil.

Sunday morning, I poured myself a cup of coffee and preheated the oven to 350 degrees and popped in the cold potatoes. About thirty minutes later, after I had caught up on my social media and email, I returned to the kitchen to form the turkey meat into small breakfast patties and prepped a small saucepan with water to poach my eggs. In another small saucepan I melted some butter and added some heavy cream for a warm welcome for the potato flesh.

I added a tablespoon of olive oil to a hot skillet to brown the sausage and started the water to boil for the eggs. I removed the potatoes from the oven, halved them, placed them on a baking sheet and gently scooped out the flesh, adding it to the warm cream/butter mixture and mashed them with some salt and pepper until nice and fluffy.  I then refilled the mixture back into the potato shells. With the back of a spoon I made a nice deep well in the potatoes.

I poached the eggs for fifty seconds and carefully fished them out with a slotted spoon, letting the excess water drain before placing them in the potato wells. I sprinkled the eggs and potatoes with grated cheddar cheese and popped them back into the oven for five minutes. By this time the sausages were browned and cooked through so I removed them from the heat and tented them with foil to keep warm.

In the oven, the eggs will set up a little bit more, the cheese will melt and you’ve got a great twice baked potato with beautiful poached eggs. And alongside the flavorful spicy turkey it was one of the best breakfasts we’ve had in a long time.

There’s something so daunting about dropping a delicate raw egg into boiling water, but it’s really very easy. Here are some tips that helped me get over my fear of poaching.

• • A poached egg should look like an oval with an egg yolk perfectly centered. I get this shape about half of the time and I read that it’s because I should use only the freshest of eggs.
  • Heat at least two inches of water in a saucepan or skillet and bring the water to a simmer. You can add one tablespoon of cider or white wine vinegar to help the egg hold its shape.
  • I’ve occasionally read that poachers will create a whirlpool in the water and then dropping in the egg. I’ve tried it a couple of times, and didn’t think it made much difference. But it may work for you.
  • Simmer eggs three minutes for runny yolks, five minutes for firmer.
  • Did you know that poached eggs can be stored in cold water in the refrigerator for up to two days and reheated in hot water for ten seconds? Pat them dry first. I learned that while sitting at a lunch counter at a restaurant with an open air kitchen. Their specialty was variety of steaming Oriental soups where a poached egg was added right before serving.  They had an army of poached eggs lined up in the refrigerator ready for their lunch menu.

If you’d like to learn more, I’ve written a post How To Poach An Egg Like A Professional Chef

Here’s the recipe for the potatoes and eggs, I’ll get to the Turkey Breakfast Patties in my next post.

5 from 2 votes

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Twice Baked Potatoes with Poached Eggs

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 40 mins

 

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Author: The New Basics

Ingredients

• 2 Idaho baking potatoes
• 1 T . unsalted butter
• 1 T . heavy whipping cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 C . grated cheddar cheese
• 1 T . chives chopped. For garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Scrub the potatoes and dry with paper towels. Prick them lightly all over with a fork, wrap in foil and bake until done. About an hour to an hour and a half.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop and carefully scoop out the pulp.
4. Mash the potato pulp and add the cream, butter and salt and pepper.
5. Divide the potato mixture evenly among the potato halves and with the back of a spoon make an indentation in each for the eggs.
6. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Gently poach the eggs for 50 seconds and remove them from the water with a slotted spoon.
7. Place one egg in the center of each potato. Top with the grated cheese and bake until eggs are set to you liking. I baked for 5 minutes for a perfect runny yolk. Bake 10 minutes or so if you'd like the yolk to set up. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

Twice Baked Potatoes with Poached Eggs…It’s what’s for Breakfast.