Egg-in-a-Hole for Camping or the Comfort of Home

I learned to make egg-in-a-hole at my beloved sleep-away camp, which was hardly rustic. (There were showers in all the cabins.)Over my six summers there, the closest I got to real camping was an aborted overnight canoeing trip, which ended when the camp director dispatched buses to our campsite because of a storm. We were sound asleep, unaware of the rain and dreaming of s’mores, when the flashlight-wielding counselors woke us up.Nonetheless, on morning cookouts we made breakfast on outdoor camping stoves fashioned out of large cans set over Bunsen burners. Unlike the Girl Scouts, who made their own burners using paraffin and tuna cans, we used store-bought ready-to-light burners.I don’t regret the fact that I did not develop more camping skills. I learned the important thing: how to make egg-in-a-hole. My squishy sandwich-bread camp-stove version of the dish was hardly elegant, but it delighted me enough to make it at home.Today, I’m using unsalted butter (I bet we used margarine at camp), a thick slice of really good white or whole wheat country bread and a sunflower-yellow, pastured egg. My “grill” is a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet set on the stove and, after a long egg-in-a-hole hiatus, I’m smitten. I’d forgotten how utterly perfect this meal is.Egg-in-a-HoleIngredients:1 3/4-inch-thick slice country bread, whole wheat or white1 large egg1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt and pepperPreparation:1. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut a hole in the middle of bread. Reserve the removed portion to toast, if desired. Break egg into a teacup.2. Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, or over a medium-hot grill, for about 2 minutes. Add butter. When butter stops foaming, place bread in pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook 3 minutes and flip over. Gently tip egg into hole.3. Sprinkle salt and pepper over egg and cook 3 minutes. Carefully flip egg and bread over, and cook for another 30 to 40 seconds, until egg is cooked just over-easy. Transfer to a plate and serve.© 2015 New York Times News