Open-Face Egg Sandwich with Bacon, Asparagus and Pesto

April 26, 2013

If you are in a food funk, try this open faced egg sandwich with bacon, asparagus and pesto.  Sourdough bread is smothered in homemade pesto, slices of crisp bacon, and spears of asparagus.  A fried egg tops the sandwich so that when you take your first bite the yolk runs and combines with the other ingredients to make them richer in flavor.

Open-Face Egg Sandwich with Bacon, Asparagus, and Pesto
Recipe Courtesy of Home Skillet

Ingredients:

4 slices sourdough bread
8 slices bacon
4 eggs
Spinach and Basil Pesto:
1 bunch spinach leaves
.66 container basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Roasted Asparagus and Scallions:
12 ounces asparagus, ends trimmed
4 scallions, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Tomato Cucumber Salad:
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
½ English cucumber, chopped
1/3 cup chopped basil
drizzle of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
 
Directions:
 
To make the pesto: Place spinach leaves, basil leaves, minced garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor.
 
Pulse until a spreadable paste forms.
 
Set aside.
 
To roast the asparagus and scallions: Heat oven to 400 degrees.
 
Place the asparagus spears and scallions in a 9x13 pan and drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
 
Sprinkle salt and pepper.
 
Roast for about 20 minutes, or until they have browned.
 
To make the tomato and cucumber salad: In a medium bowl, toss together the chopped tomato, the chopped cucumber, and the chopped basil.
 
Drizzle fresh lemon juice.
 
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
 
To make the bacon and bronzed toast: Fry up bacon slices on a griddle over medium heat.
 
Once both sides have crisped, remove from griddle and place on a paper towel.
 
Don’t drain the bacon grease, use this pan to toast the slices of bread. Place the slices of sourdough bread on the griddle and bronze each side.
 
Take off heat once both sides have browned
 
For the fried egg: melt butter in skillet on medium heat.
 
To get the heart-shaped egg, we cracked the eggs into Norpro Nonstick Heart and Pancake Egg Rings, then continued to fry just until egg white is cooked, or sunny-side up, roughly 1 minute.
 
You could also fry the egg normally and cut the egg into a heart shape.
 
To assemble sandwiches: Place 2 slices of bacon on a slice of the bronzed sourdough toast.
 
Place a few roasted asparagus spears and scallion on top of the bacon.
 
Spread a thick layer of spinach basil pesto.
 
Finally, top with the heart-shaped fried egg.
 
Serve salad on side.

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