Marc Forgione wants side dishes with main-character energy.
“I wanted to create something fun to serve as a side dish with our tomahawk steak at Forgione,” the chef says about one of the most popular dishes served at his namesake New York City restaurant. “But it can be a stand-alone appetizer or brunch dish.”
To lean into a breakfast main, he suggests adding some hollandaise sauce. “It becomes a version of eggs Benedict,” Forgione explains.
The cheesy and bacony recipe comes together simply but the Iron Chef has one piece of advice for it, and other egg dishes: “Never put salt in the poaching water, as it can cause the egg whites to separate or become rubbery.”
Marc Forgione’s Poached Egg with Bacon, Spinach and Sunchokes
1 lb. Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), scrubbed, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups heavy cream
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
3 bacon slices, thinly sliced
5 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
2 lbs. baby spinach
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup, plus 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated, divided (about 4¼ oz.)
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. flaky sea salt
1. Combine sunchokes, heavy cream, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of the salt and enough water to cover entirely in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high; reduce heat to medium low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Transfer sunchokes to a food processor, reserving cooking liquid; process until smooth, adding a little of the cooking liquid as needed, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until rendered and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, and set aside.
3. Add garlic to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until light brown, about 30 seconds. Add spinach in batches; cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze spinach; discard liquid. Transfer spinach mixture to food processor with sunchoke mixture; add nutmeg, pepper, 1 cup of the cheese and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse until mixture looks like creamed spinach, 5 to 7 pulses, stirring once halfway. Transfer to a bowl; cover to keep warm.
4. Boil 1 quart of water over high heat in a medium saucepan, and add vinegar; reduce to a simmer over medium low. Crack each egg separately into its own small bowl. Use a whisk to stir water clockwise. Once water is spinning on its own, add eggs, one at a time. Simmer until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 4 minutes.
5. Gently remove eggs with a slotted spoon, and place on top of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with flaky salt, bacon, black pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon cheese. Serve immediately.
Serves: 4
Active time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Read the full article here
