A Cast Iron-Fried Egg

OK, I get it now. Plus, a recipe, and recommendations.

Like many of us, I was intimidated by cast iron for a long time. I still am. I’m still learning all of the things it can do and the ways to employ it well. Eggs were one of the first things I learned to cook, and I always cooked them on a nonstick skillet. I cooked all manner of eggs this way for years, until my mid-twenties when I got the memo that Teflon was bad—very bad—and to safely cook on a nonstick pan it had to be replaced every 1-2 years (!!!), and I was appalled. And then Teflon alternatives came on the market, including ceramic, which was my nonstick of choice for some time—but ceramic nonstick is pretty flawed, and begins to deteriorate pretty quickly.

An egg just cracked in my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

At some point I acquired a cast iron pan but I never used it to cook eggs. I roasted chickens in it and used it for searing, but it was never my go-to.

Cast iron is not forgiving. If things stick to it, it’s very hard to clean. And we all know the drama surrounding the cleaning of cast iron (no soap? no water?!). It often sat unused because I was confused. How could I avoid cleaning it with water and soap if it always had food stuck to it. I picked up tips and knowledge for how to season it, here and there. But I think the discourse around cast iron (lol) distracts from the more pertinent conversation that I desire, which is how to actually use it.

It turns out there is a very simple solution: Heat. I eventually learned how to properly cook on cast iron without everything sticking thanks to probably a cooking video (?) but cannot remember which one [Author’s note: I rewatched Sohla’s Eggs 101 video and I’m pretty certain it was that video—so that’s a visual guide for what I’m talking about]. I think for many of us (not sure about you but def me), it’s not intuitive to crank up the heat, or set a pan on high to heat it up before cooking ingredients in it—which you need to do to get a cast iron pan hot enough to work its special magic. Maybe we can blame smoke alarms and tiny NYC apartments?!

My fried egg on lemony yogurt, King City Pink Beans, and arugula. The plate is from my beloved collection of Blue Eagle Pottery.

It turns out, the best way to understand cast iron is to fry an egg on it. The sizzle and bubble of the delicate egg white when it hits a properly piping hot cast iron pan tells you all you need to know. If the pan is hot enough the egg won’t stick at all. At all! My mind was properly blown. You’ll be able to effortlessly lift the egg out with a spatula, and all you’ll need to do to clean it is wipe out excess oil or put the pan back on the heat or in the oven to encourage the pan to absorb the oil up. Don’t laugh if you’ve known this all along!

I’ve written before about how much I love putting a fried egg on things, so learning how to fry an egg on cast iron is life-changing (only slight hyperbole there). Yesterday morning, after dropping my son off at daycare, I went home and made myself breakfast for the first time in a long time (getting to fry another egg was sufficient motivation). I had leftover lemony yogurt, and beans that I’d cooked in the oven earlier in the week, and also some incredible fresh greens (arugula and micro-pea shoots from Great Joy Family Farm (link for those in the Mid-Hudson Valley). I smeared the yogurt on a plate, topped that with arugula and pea shoots, dressed it with a squeeze of lemon, before plopping the beans on top. I had some roasted garlic from the beans as well, so I extricated a few cloves and nestled them in around the beans. Then I began heating up my cast iron skillet with a bit of olive oil. Once it began smoking a bit I knew it was hot enough, and tipped my cracked egg in from a small bowl. Another revelatory tip I picked up from Sohla’s Egg 101 video is to baste the egg white in oil to avoid that horrible jiggly undercooked part, so often present around the yolk. So I swirled some toasted sesame oil in the pan just after the egg hit, and using an oven mitt, tipped my pan to the side so I could scoop the oil up and spoon it over the egg white, until I was sure it was cooked. True to form, as soon as I killed the heat, the egg came away from the pan impossibly cleanly with a fish spatula. After placing it atop the beans and greens I seasoned it with Maldon sea salt, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

This is a perfect breakfast or lunch or solo dinner. It’s endlessly adaptable—I do it with all kinds of leftovers. Leftover rice is one of my favorite applications for this type of meal, but any grain or legume or even leftover stew or soup benefits from a fried egg. I have a lot of fun choosing condiments (Chili Crisp, Zhong sauce, Fly By Jing Mala Spice Mix, Salsa Verde or Zhoug in the summer, etc etc). I’m thrilled to share a little recipe for yesterday’s version because it truly knocked my socks off. Enjoy!

xo AV

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A Fried Egg with Beans, Greens, and Lemony Yogurt

Ingredients

1 cup Whole Greek Yogurt

2 lemons (1 juiced)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the pan and for drizzling

1 cup beans, cooked or canned

Arugula

Microgreens (optional)

1 large egg

Toasted sesame oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1. In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, 2-3 tbsps olive oil and a giant pinch of kosher salt

2. Smear a plate with the yogurt and top with a large handful of arugula and microgreens (like pea shoots or sprouts if you have them—or just arugula). Season with a squeeze of lemon (from the second lemon you have on hand). Top with the beans, either cooked previously or from a can. Note: Any bean could work here, but black beans would offer a very different flavor profile—I’m sure still good. I used a cup of Rancho Gordo’s King City Pinks that I cooked earlier in the week, but chickpeas, cannellinis, etc would work great.

   Layer more yogurt and a few more pea shoots or sprouts on top of the beans.

3. Put a small cast iron skillet over high heat and allow it to get hot as you add a couple tablespoons of oil to the pan. Meanwhile crack your egg into a small bowl—taking care to keep the yolk intact. Continue to let the pan get hot, and once it begins smoking a bit, slide your egg onto the pan. If your pan is ripping hot it should immediately begin bubbling away. Drizzle some toasted sesame oil into the pan, and using a oven mitt to protect your hand, use the handle to tip it to the side so the oil pools. With a spoon in your other hand, scoop up the oil and baste the egg white. This ensures that your egg whites will not be undercooked (the worst).

4. Remove from the heat, and using a spatula pick up your perfectly fried egg and place it atop your beans, arugula and yogurt. Season egg with Maldon sea salt, a few cracks of black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

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What I’m reading this week / My friends at FSG sent me a galley of the most precious debut novel: Practice by Rosalind Brown. It’s out this June and I adored it so much. The entire novel takes place from a young woman’s perspective as she tries to write an essay about Shakespeare’s Sonnets in her dorm room at Oxford. I initially thought it would have a modest effect on me, but as I continued to read I was captivated by Annabel’s interiority. As the themes and facts of her life emerge, it gets deeper and more complex. As a former English Major there were moments and details that shot me right back to 2004. Continuing with British women author debuts, I just began Lottie Hazell’s Piglet, just out in the US from Henry Holt & Co.—I am very much in the beginning but loving it. Her protagonist Piglet is a London-based cookbook editor about to get married, until things begin to get a bit shaky. Lastly, I’m slowly making my way through Rachel Cusk’s next novel Parade, which I’m finding challenging and a bit heavy (all to be expected!), so I’m taking my time. True to form it’s shot through with passages that stop me in my tracks. At one point I rifled through my kitchen drawer to find a pen so that I could underline sentences. I never do that. [author’s note: interesting that all of these books are titled with one word beginning with P, and written by brilliant Brits]

My LL Bean Boat Tote (from Baer Vintage, ofc), and PRACTICE galley posing with tulips in the West Village

Something to Inspire / This one is for my fellow Newburghers. There’s a secret cinderblock garden in the Flats, south of Broadway—it’s called 17 Spring Street Garden—and was created and is cared for by the incredibly talented Lindsey Taylor, an author I hosted at my bookstore when her book, Art in Flower, was published last year. I’d known of its existence for a long time now but was confused about how to find it—always under the misconception it was locked. Thanks to a neighbor friend I was set straight and finally visited (turns out I was at the wrong entrance). It’s the most serene spot, and currently filled with tulips, daffs, and bluebells, and some tropical-looking plant I couldn’t name. I can’t quite believe this beautiful place is just one block and around the corner from my house. I sat for there enjoying the garden, and after awhile spotted a Cardinal and watched him flaunt himself and call for potential mates for awhile.

A snap from 17 Spring Street Garden in Newburgh, NY

Something to See / Drilling Company Theatre’s play, Herself, written by Tim McGillicuddy. The playwright is a friend of my husband’s so we made the drive into Midtown to see it last night, and it was wonderful. I think tonight is the last show (bad timing for this rec, I know), but I still think it’s worth mentioning, as I had never heard of this theater company before and it makes me want to make more of an effort to keep up with local productions here in the Hudson Valley and also in New York City. I loved it so so much. The entire ensemble cast was excellent. How lucky are we to have live art to experience?

My “Herself” program—my first proper play attended since the pandemic. The last show I saw was Fleabag’s final NYC run at the Cherry Lane Theater (wow).

Somewhere to Eat / Tea & Sympathy in the West Village is a classic. I went for the first time in many years earlier this week. It’s one of the coziest spots, and their Afternoon Tea for Two is perfect. Worlds better than Afternoon Tea at the Plaza (trust me). Request the Branson Pickle tea sandwiches, and don’t skip the Victoria Sandwich that you might think you’re too full to eat. Go on a weekday afternoon when it’s free of tourists and packed to the gills.

My bestie Julia at Tea & Sympathy earlier this week.