These easy baked eggs take only minutes to assemble – perfect for Sunday brunches, solo lunches or even lazy suppers. They’re also easily scaled up if you’re feeding a crowd – much less work than poaching or frying dozens of eggs!
Ingreadient
- 9 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp good-quality olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 5 basil leaves, torn, plus a few extra to serve if you like
- 5 pitted olives, sliced
- 1 large free-range egg
- 1 tsp small capers, rinsed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- crusty bread or warm ciabatta, to serve (optional)
- 1 thick slice of bread from a small loaf (such as ciabatta) – about 40g/1½oz
- 2 tsp good-quality olive oil
- 2 slices cured ham, such as like prosciutto or Parma ham
- 2 tbsp stock, made with a pinch of vegetable or chicken stock cube
- 1 large free-range egg
- 20g/¾oz gruyère cheese, coarsely grated
- chopped parsley or chives, to serve (optional)
- small handful chopped kale, stalks discarded
- ½ lemon
- 75g/3oz crème fraîche (half or whole fat)
- 1 tsp grainy mustard
- 50g/2oz hot-smoked mackerel, peppered works well
- 1 large free-range egg
- wholemeal toast or rye bread
Direction
- For the Sicilian-style eggs, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
- Scatter the tomatoes and garlic over the base of a small ovenproof dish. Drizzle over half of the oil and all the vinegar, then season well with salt and pepper. Bake for 3 minutes.
- Scatter half of the basil and the olives over the tomatoes, then make a space in the centre and crack the egg into the space. Scatter the rest of the olives and the capers over the top with the second teaspoon of oil, and some more freshly ground black pepper. Bake for another 8–12 minutes or more, depending on how you like your egg cooked. Serve with crusty bread or warm ciabatta, if you like.
- For the all-in-one croque madame, keep the oven at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
- Tear the bread into bite-sized chunks and toss with the olive oil in a small ovenproof dish. Tear the ham into pieces and toss through, then push towards the edges to leave a space for the egg. Drizzle the stock over the bread and crack the egg into the centre. Scatter over the cheese and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bake for 8–12 minutes or more, depending on how you like your egg cooked. Serve scattered with some chopped parsley or snipped chives if you have some spare.
- For the smoked mackerel, kale and mustard, keep the oven at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and boil a half-full kettle.
- Put the kale in a sieve and pour over the kettle water to wilt it a little. Cut a wedge from the lemon to save for serving. Tip the kale into a bowl with the crème fraîche and mustard, then grate over a little lemon zest and season with a squeeze of juice. Toss together and spoon into a small ovenproof dish. Flake the mackerel over the top, then crack the egg on top of that.
- Bake for 10–15 minutes or more depending on how you like your egg cooked. Eat with wholemeal toast or rye bread, and serve the lemon wedge alongside for squeezing juice over.
