Wilted Greens with Balsamic Fried Eggs Recipe
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Greens tend to be relegated to slow, long cooking such as braising, but the more delicate of these, such as dandelion, can be wilted and used in a quick meal. Here the bitterness of dandelion greens is tamed by rich egg flavor and a sweet, syrupy balsamic vinegar reduction. Serve it all over a big piece of toasted country-style bread and you’ll see why this versatile dish has a place at the table any hour of the day.
What to buy: Dandelion greens are available year-round, but they’re best from midwinter through spring. If you’re having a hard time finding them or don’t like them, you can use beet greens, escarole, or arugula instead.
This recipe was featured as part of our Cooking with Winter Ingredients and Easy Weeknight Dinners photo galleries.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
- 6 ounces dandelion greens (about 1 small bunch), washed, thoroughly dried, ends trimmed, and coarsely chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the garlic and cook until it just starts to color, about 30 seconds.
- Add the dandelion greens and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Immediately remove from heat and divide the greens between 2 serving plates.
- Wipe out the pan, return it to medium heat, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. When it shimmers, add the eggs and fry until set, bubbly, and brown on the edges and the pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes.
- Carefully add the balsamic vinegar and cook until it is reduced and syrupy, about 2 minutes. Place 2 eggs on each mound of greens, evenly divide the vinegar reduction, season with freshly ground black pepper, and serve with toast.
Beverage pairing: Terredora di Paolo Falanghina Irpinia, Italy. The greens here present a touch of bitterness, the balsamic some pungency and sweetness, and the eggs some richness. Falanghina, a white grape from southern Italy, offers round, fresh fruit; a touch of herbal sharpness; and good body, hitting all the elements of this simple dish.
For me this recipe says serve with greens, probably Greens rather than Pak Choi or cabbage? Chard, Spinach of course is a natural partner. i have never understood the balsamic vinegar thing in food these days.
Absolutely delicious and deceivingly simple. I love bitter greens and a fried egg with a runny yolk on top of anything is effing awesome.
'Can't wait for the springtime when I can pick endless amounts of dandelion greens from my lawn for this recipe!
This was amazing. I was very skeptical about pouring in that much vinegar, but given that I seriously considered licking my plate clean, I think it's fair to say that the finished product managed to convince me that it was a good idea. I used beet greens rather than dandelions, since I had some already begging to be used, but I do think that the added bite of the dandelions would have been nice - guess I'll just have to try it again!
Recipe is great, but the best thing this recipe did for me was expose me to dandelion greens! They are delicious and dirt cheap. I will definitely add these greens to various other dishes :)
Yum!! My husband and I weren't sure about this, but the picture looked so good that we gave it a try. I have an abundance of chard and beet greens in the garden, so used those instead of dandelion greens. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written. It was heavenly and made a great start to our Sunday!
I've tried several varieties of greens with fried eggs and toast and it all comes out wonderful. Add a little fresh slice tomatoes and perhaps some nice smoked breakfast sausage and you've got quite a start to your day (or any time for that matter).
looks great! i want to make it for breakfast tomorrow morning, heh.
I just made something very similar yesterday for lunch - I actually used a hard boiled egg on top of a green salad of rainbow chard and leeks. I used balsamic vinegar and honey to flavor the greens after cooking down. Delicious! Eggs are a great topper... http://coldcerealandtoast.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/egg-topped-rainbow-chard-and-leek-saute/
this is great! i served it with grilled canadian bacon and called it "greens eggs and ham" :)
I changed the recipe a bit and it came out great!!! Take the stem and scrape the gills out of two portobello mushrooms. Brush with Olive Oil and grill for about 5 mins. each side. Brown the garlic (with the addition of some chopped onion) in a bit of olive oil, then add a couple of big handfuls of cleaned spinach (baby spinach would be best). Divide the mixture between the two mushroom caps. Then cook your eggs, add the balsamic and put the eggs on top of the spinach topped mushroom caps. Pour the remaining sauce over both. Optional: Sprinkle with a bit of parmesan cheese.
Perfect Olive Oil Fried Eggs are one of my favorite breakfasts to make, but I've never thought to put balsamic on them! The greens look delish, but you should try these Portabello Mushroom Home Fries as they would pair really well with the balsamic. http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2009/04/cooking-for-one-perfect-fried-egg.html
I'll tell you what, those eggs would be a whole lot tastier cooked in cream instead of balsamic with a little parm grated over the top--I'm just saying... Heat the cream up on the stove to a gentle simmer. Pour into individual timbale cups. Crack in the eggs and finish under the broiler. Taste them with those greens. That's what I'm talking about.
This is such a good recipe!
Made this after seeing it listed in Quick Meals. Good and easy. I used mustard greens because they were fresh and local (South Carolina). They were a good sub if you like bitter greens (and I do). We had roasted sweet potato as a side -- it was GREAT with it. Will make this again.
i made this last night and it was excellent. filling but not heavy, and so fast! i used arugala because dandelion greens are somewhat hard to find. will definitely make this again. maybe even tonight...
i used spinach and added baby heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese at the end.
delicious recipe! i only had beet greens on hand, but they were certainly not disappointing. however, i made the mistake of cooking the stems, too. i cooked them first with the garlic and onions, but even then they were too tough. i ended up picking them out. next time i'll just use the greens....
I have made this twice more with some very fresh arugula as the "greens" (I LOVE arugula with eggs like this!) I am still using both minced garlic and diced onions, however, I'm not wilting the greens at all. I'm only putting the in the pan to quickly toss them with the garlic and onion, then immediately removing them onto the plate. Non-wilted arugula is so much more delicious than wilted! It's still easy to let the balsamic ... over-reduce! :eek: I'm also halving, seeding, then quartering some cherry tomatoes, + salt, pepper, spritz of favorite olive oil, and tossing that at end with arugula + some grated parm. Thank you Aida!
Tried it this morning. This recipe will become a part of my "make-it-on-autopilot" dishes. I LOVE eggs, and this presents a fresh new twist and flavor profile for breakfast. My mods: 1) Sauteed both diced onion and garlic, not just garlic, as I really like the combo in general, and more than garlic alone. 2) To drink, I'd suggest a glass of fresh-brewed ice tea. Balsamic flavor in salads + iced tea go great together 3) A small piece of sourdough toast was delicious with it Changes I'd make next time 1) I underestimated how much wilting would occur, and would use more greens next time. 2) I will more closely watch my skillet while the balsamic vinegar reduces. ... So that it doesn't reduce **quite** so much :eek: ; - ). (Was making a piece of sourdough toast, and when I turned around, I had no liquid left, but a lot of it was absorbed into the egg, so I still got a lot of the flavor. I believe the intent of the recipe is to have liquid left though.) This was so good I want to make it again for dinner! Thank you Aida.
this sounds brilliantly simple and delicious and would be so yummy with a hunk of crusty bread. cannot wait to try!
stuffed monkey: the eggs are left in the pan so the vinegar cooks into them a bit. try it out and let us know what you think!
Are the eggs removed or left in the pan while the vinegar reduces?