Two Chefs Turn Egg Sandwiches Into True Eye-Openers

In her memoir, Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess (Warner Books, 2006), food writer Gael Greene details a one-night stand with Elvis. After it was over, the King gestured to the hotel phone and asked if she’d mind ordering him a fried egg sandwich. “The fried egg sandwich,” Greene writes, “that part I remember. I can’t remember how big It was, how long the sex lasted, or even who was on top (probably me). But I have never forgotten the fried egg sandwich.” And so it goes with the egg sandwich, that unsung hero of our mornings that fills our stomachs and soothes our hangovers. Whether wrapped in foil or served on a plate, the breakfast sandwich comforts and nourishes us. Here are two spins on the classic bread-egg-meat-cheese formula:

PDXWT Breakfast Sandwich, $5.75, Vitaly Paley, Portland Penny Diner, Portland Ore. Photo: cassidyphoto.com

“It’s short for Portland white trash,” Vitaly Paley says of his duck bologna, American cheese and egg breakfast sandwich at Portland Penny Diner. “A fried bologna sandwich is a classic amongst late-night partygoers, and after much drinking, it’s great as early-morning fare and hangover cure alike.” In his upgraded version, Paley adds perky coffee mayo and crunchy, tangy sauerkraut to cut the richness of the egg and duck bologna. And of course, this being Portland, they make their own duck bologna, ferment the sauerkraut, whip up the coffee mayo and bake the Parker House rolls themselves. “And yes,” he adds, “we obsess over where our eggs come from.”

Paley's Tips:

• Scramble the eggs in the leftover butter used for grilling the bologna. The eggs will pick up the salty duck flavor from the residual grease.
• To get the perfect golden color on his Parker House rolls, Paley egg washes the tops before baking and then brushes them with melted butter just before serving.
• Paley wraps his duck bologna in plastic and cooks it in a water bath with an immersion circulator.
• Use strong espresso for the coffee mayonnaise—one short shot, slightly cooled, per cup of mayo—to get that bitter flavor. A teaspoon of honey mixed into the mayonnaise adds a hint of sweetness to counteract the sour and salty components of the sandwich.

Egg Sandwich, $13, Jeffrey Mauro, Jam, Chicago. Photo: cassidyphoto.com

Chicago’s Jam reimagines and updates diner standards, so it’s no surprise that the egg sandwich gets a makeover on the menu. “Our egg sandwich was built from the basic egg, ham and cheese,” Jeffrey Mauro says. “How can we make it better without compromising the original formula? Innovative yet reverent is our model.” His take layers tender pork shoulder, pickled plum preserves (to offset the heaviness of the pork) and two over-easy eggs on a French bollo roll. Mauro swaps out the more traditional yellow cheese in favor of the creaminess and slightly nutty flavor of ricotta. “Creating the dish, balance is key,” he says. “Clearly the egg sandwich is not our healthiest option, but fat-to-acid and sweet-to-savory balances are essential in satisfying all taste buds.”

Mauro's Tips:

• Mauro cures the pork shoulder overnight before braising it. He toasts corlander and fennel seeds to release their oils and amplify their flavor before tossing them into the sugar and salt mixture while still warm; it allows their oils to spread evenly throughout the cure.
• Slice the roll higher than halfway so that the base bread can support all the components when in hand.
• Cooking the eggs to just over-easy is key. “The yolk is a key sauce element for the large amount of pork.
• After it’s cured, the pork is seared over medium-high heat to caramelize all sides. It’s then braised in a vegetable stock and apple cider mixture to keep it juicy. You’ll know it’s done when the meat separates easily when gently poked.