I live a 15-minute walk from “The Big House,” aka the University of Michigan’s football stadium. I went to one game once and I hated it! But I came here for the soccer food. What a beautiful dish! Cousin Ann Marie’s 7 layer dip. A garage fridge filled with the most random beer selection you’ve ever seen. All about Buffalo.
Before home games, friends gather at our house and we tailgate in the backyard, the wind whipping orange leaves around our heads and White Claw planes flying overhead. . At noon games, we always serve egg patty breakfast sandwiches. People show up as early as 8 a.m., so you’ll need to be prepared, but it’s easy to prepare in advance.
They also seem to surprise people. why? Because they walk into our shabby 1990s kitchen, unwrap a warm sandwich from its foil wrapper, take a bite, and discover a creamy, smooth egg patty that could only be made in the most sophisticated processing plants. Because you do. “McDonald’s? Jimmy Dean? Who made this?” they ask. “Bill,” I said, referring to the tall man who would be living with me forever and who happened to be a good cook.
Ketchup, doctored up mayonnaise, pickles, bacon, quick red onion pickles, hot sauce, and more were available for users to customize. There’s usually a tray of hash brown patties as a side of vegetables lol. coffee carafe. Bloody Mary ingredients. And we always end up making too many sandwiches. Because some visitors sneak into games by hiding sandwiches in their coat pockets. I like to freeze it for later use.
Bill adapted the Bon Appétit recipe by the brilliant Zainab Issa, but Cook’s Illustrated has a great recipe based on the famous sandwich from Boston’s Joan Chang’s Flour Bakery. –behind a paywall worth every penny.
Basically, it’s like making a quiche without the dough. Add eggs, cream and your favorite seasonings and bake in the oven until set and slightly jiggling. (The high fat content in the cream gives it a custard-like texture.) And the giant egg patty is complete. For sandwiches, slice into 12 palm-sized squares. Slice into tortilla-length rectangles for breakfast tacos. I have a friend who makes eggs for meal prep, stores a few in the refrigerator each morning, and heats them in the microwave.
I also served these for Christmas Day brunch when I had a lot of family over. It was a big hit! The little kids were amazed by the eggs because they had only eaten scrambled eggs before. The smooth yellow egg patty looks kind of cartoonish. But eventually I convinced them with the help of ketchup.
giant egg patty
Butter (for greasing the frying pan)
12 large eggs
1 finely chopped jalapeño (optional if you’re in the Midwest lol)
1/2 cup fresh cream
salt and black pepper
8-12 squeeze buns (depending on number of guests)
8-12 American cheese slices
Optional add-ons:
1 pound cooked bacon
8-12 hash brown patties (such as Trader Joe’s frozen patties) (cooked)
Spicy mayonnaise (1 cup mayonnaise: 3 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste)
Quick Pickle Red Onions (Make sliced red onions in a glass jar and cover with white vinegar or rice wine vinegar at least 20 minutes in advance)
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Line a plate with parchment paper so there is overhang on both sides to remove the eggs later. Next, butter the parchment as well. In a large mixing bowl or blender, whisk together all the eggs, jalapeños (if using), heavy cream, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons. A little kosher salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until set and the center no longer looks wet. Remove the baking dish from the oven, but leave the oven on. Let the eggs cool for about 10 minutes, then slice into 8 to 12 patties, depending on the size of your buns.
Add the egg patty to the cheese-filled buns and arrange on a sheet tray. Then just bake the egg and cheese sandwich for 8-12 minutes to melt the cheese and warm the eggs.
For optional add-ons, let guests add their own bacon, hash brown patties, pickled onions, and spicy mayonnaise to their sandwiches.
How to successfully run a forward spread:
Make the eggs the day before and once they have cooled, cover the gratin dish and put it in the fridge.
Assembly: Remove the eggs from the refrigerator, slice into sandwich patties according to the size of the buns, and add to the buns along with the sliced cheese.
Reheat: About 20 minutes before people arrive, place the sandwiches on a sheet tray and put them in the oven at 150-180° on “keep warm” or 150-180°. Before eating, unwrap the sandwich and test the temperature of the eggs. In some cases, you may need to cook it for a few more minutes (but if you leave it in the oven too long or heat it too much, it will start to dry out).
Alex Beggs is a writer and copywriter who lives in Michigan with his partner. Her articles have appeared in Bon Appetit, Elle Decor, and The New York Times. She also writes about her father’s meatloaf, cold cake, and (very) bad hair days in Cup of Jo.
PS 10 egg-topped dinners and recipes perfect for brunch with kids.
(Photo courtesy of Alex Beggs)
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