Don’t make this a daily meal. This is incredibly starchy and savory and works really well for a brunch or the start of a lazy day on the weekend. The potatoes are baked, broiled crisp, and topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce with cayenne pepper and chives.

Ingredients

• Hollandaise:
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp of cayenne pepper (plus additional for garnish)
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • ½ cup of butter (melted)
  • chives (garnish)
• Potatoes:
  • 2 potatoes (peeled, cubed)- [1]
  • 2 slices of bacon (cut into ¼-inch pieces)
  • cheddar cheese (fine-grated, enough to cover)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 eggs (poached)

Instructions

• Prep:
  1. Preheat oven to 175°F.
  2. Fill thermos with hot water and set aside.
  3. In two small bowls or cups, crack one egg into each bowl. This will make it easier later when you have to add them to the water for poaching.
  4. Bring a pot of water to a simmer to later be used for the hollandaise and then the poached eggs.
• Hollandaise:
  1. Melt butter in pan and keep reasonably hot without bringing it to smoke.
  2. Add egg yolks to medium-sized metal bowl. Beat with whisk until consistent.
  3. To the bowl add the dijon mustard, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Mix until combined.
  4. Continue aggressively whisking and steadily stream in the hot butter. Keep whisking until the mix is consistent and no loose butter/oil can be seen.
  5. The current mixture should, more or less, be able to coat the back of a spoon. If it can’t or you would like for it to be thicker, take the bowl with the hollandaise in it and whisk it while setting it on and off of the pot of simmering water. This will reduce it. Don’t keep it over the pot for too long at a time because the eggs will cook.
  6. With thermos, empty out hot water, fill with hollandaise, seal, and set aside.
• Potatoes:
  1. In cast iron skillet at medium-high heat, add bacon. Cook bacon until it’s about half-way done and then add the potatoes. Mix until bacon and grease have covered the potatoes.
  2. Salt & pepper to taste.
  3. Place skillet in preheated oven. Let cook for 15-20 minutes or until you can easily stick them with a fork.- [2]
  4. After potatoes are done, switch oven to broil and let cook for another 3-5 minutes depending on how much browning you want on top.
  5. After potatoes have sufficient browning, remove from oven, place on serving dish (plate) and immediately cover with however much fresh-grated cheddar cheese you want.
     • Optionally: add a bit of hollandaise to the plate before adding the potatoes if you like saucy stuff. Don’t go crazy with it else you’ll spoil the dish.
  6. Salt & pepper to taste.
• Eggs:
  1. In simmering water, add a splash of white vinegar, stir the water to give it a swirl, and add the two eggs. They should start turning white after about 5-10 seconds.
  2. Let the eggs cook for about 3-5 minutes or until desired firmness. The water should remain hot/barely simmering throughout but if the water starts exceeding a simmer or boiling, remove from heat, turn stove down, and add back when there’s isn’t enough heat to worry boil the water.
• Assembly:
  1. After the eggs are done, remove them with a spider or holed spoon and place on top of potatoes.
  2. Salt & pepper the eggs to taste.
  3. Drizzle hollandaise on eggs, enough to cover them.
  4. Garnish with cayenne pepper and chives.