A New Twist on Eggs Benedict

Rinse the Russet potatoes thoroughly (they’re dirty little suckers!) and shred them. Preheat a large skillet with the canola oil. When hot, gently pour in the shredded potatoes so you don’t splash yourself with the hot oil. Allow the potatoes to cook for a while and check on them sporadically by lifting up an edge to see if it has crisped into a whole “potato pancake,” if you will. Once it has crisped, flip and allow the other side to do the same. Once it has reached your desired crispiness, remove from heat and set aside.

Separate the eggs. Set up a pot with about 2 inches of water, and allow water to come to a simmer (NOT a boil). Finely zest the orange, cut it in half, and reserve the juice of half of the orange (make sure there are no pulp segments or seeds).

Prep your ham into about 1/4-inch thick slices. I just used leftover ham from a whole one. Heat a smallish skillet and spray with cooking spray. Once hot, put in the ham and allow to crisp on both sides and set aside.

Finally, the sauce! Melt the stick of butter. Put the yolks into a thin metal bowl and place over the simmering water. Start to vigorously whisk the egg yolks. (Note: you may want to use a towel or hot pad to hold the bowl.) DON’T STOP whisking the yolks, they will start to change color, and then you can add a little of the butter. Take it off the heat and keep on whisking. Do this process of adding the butter and moving the bowl on and off the heat periodically so that you don’t scramble the eggs. Once it looks thick and all the butter is incorporated, remove from heat and whisk in the zest, orange juice, a pinch of nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. If the sauce appears too thick, you may need to add a tablespoon of water.

Lastly, in the remaining simmering water, add the egg whites and allow to poach. Remove egg whites with a slotted spoon. Assemble your plate by stacking a cut portion of your crispy hash browns, a layer of the poached egg whites, a layer of the crisped ham, and finally spoon on the creamy dreamy sauce!