Make Ahead

Sautéed Kale, Roasted Sweet Potato and Poached Egg Holiday Toast

August 29, 2011
5
2 Ratings
Photo by Nicole Franzen
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

When considering holiday recipes, I try to embrace versatility. After all, holiday dining is not confined to one meal period. Equally important is the time in between the ceremonial, family luncheon—breakfast and lunch the next day, the four o’clock snack. Since the holidays almost always involve feeding more mouths than usual, I think it is essential to assess mileage as well as flavor. This toast is colorful and hearty in its own right, but it also serves the handy function of putting leftovers to good use, particularly if you make the sautéed kale and roasted sweet potatoes as side dishes for a big holiday meal. This way, you get three dishes for the price of one! —Cristina Sciarra

Test Kitchen Notes

This is the perfect breakfast if you're feeling like you've been overindulging—especially with the sweets—but still want something comforting and substantial. Chunks of sweet potato roasted in a little maple syrup, and kale wilted with onion and shallot make a nest for a soft poached egg, and all of this perches atop a chunky slice of toast layered with tangy pecorino. When you cut into the egg, the yolk becomes a silky sauce for all of the other elements. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 small sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • sea salt, pepper
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 bunch kale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 small white onion
  • 1 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 thick slices pain de mie
  • Pecorino cheese, grated or thinly sliced
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Directions
  1. Sweet Potatoes: Preheat oven to 375°F. Peel and cube potatoes. In a sheet pan (I like to line mine with foil to make cleaning a cinch), hand toss potatoes with canola oil, 1 tablespoon melted butter, maple syrup, ginger, salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly caramelized and cooked through.
  2. Kale: Wash kale and remove stems. Mince shallot and onion, and set in a wide pan with olive oil and ½ tablespoon butter. Cook on medium heat until the shallots and onion are transparent. Add chicken stock. Roughly chop kale, and add to the pan. Stir to incorporate. Cook until the liquid evaporates and the kale is cooked, keeping in mind that kale takes a while to become soft. At the very end, add apple vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. Eggs: In a medium pot, poach eggs in simmering water for about 3 minutes. When done, remove from water and set aside on parchment paper.
  4. Toast: Toast slices of bread (you can use any kind you like, but I like pain de mie for it’s milkiness, and it’s structure. Just make sure the bread you choose can withstand all you will pile on top of it). Just before serving, scrape a thin layer of butter on each slice.
  5. Assembly: Place desired amount of cheese on top of toast. Use a slotted spoon to deposit kale on top of the cheese slices, to remove any excess moisture. Fork sweet potatoes on top of the kale, and then rest a poached egg on top of the sweet potatoes. Finish with a dusting of nutmeg, salt and pepper.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sofía
    Sofía
  • Stéphane Genty
    Stéphane Genty
  • Anna Winslow
    Anna Winslow
  • Foodimentary_Guy
    Foodimentary_Guy
  • pamelalee
    pamelalee
Cristina is a writer, cook, and day job real estate developer. She studied literature, holds an MFA in Fiction Writing, and completed the Basic Cuisine course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She lives in Jersey City with her husband--a Frenchman she met in Spain--and their sweet black cat, Minou. Follow her writings, recipes, publications and photography at theroamingkitchen.com.

25 Reviews

Sofía December 20, 2015
This was my dinner tonight and it'll be my dinner again soon! Thanks for an awesome and simple recipe.
 
Cristina S. December 21, 2015
I'm so glad you liked it!
 
seasonalfeast September 29, 2014
Brinner! I've made this a few times in the past month and love it. It is so hard to resist eating the kale straight out of the pan! Everything can be made in advance, use any kind of onion on hand and I use Parmesan since that is what I always have in the fridge. Dash of hot sauce and good to go. Bonus is my 4 year old and 21 month old love the potatoes. They get scrambled eggs with cheese and toast, with the potatoes, alongside our poached eggs. Thank you!
 
Cristina S. September 30, 2014
That sounds great! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
 
Stéphane G. November 8, 2013
eggs are cool, eggs are simple ;) http://www.how-to-hard-boil-eggs.us/
 
Anna W. December 12, 2012
Unusual but turned out very delicious. I made mine with carrots instead of potatoes and it still turned out amazing. thank you!
 
Foodimentary_Guy January 10, 2012
Love this dish. The kale without the stems is not as tart as you would think. I'm from the South so cooked greens on anything in my house ,even breakfast, is expected. A dash or two of hot sauce could make it even better.
 
pamelalee December 14, 2011
Last Sunday I was planning to make soup for supper, but I had such a busy day that I didn't feel up to it. Then I remembered being intrigued by your recipe. The creative combination of some of my favorite ingredients was all it took to energize me to give it a try. Both my husband and I loved it. I'll be making it again this winter!
 
Cristina S. December 15, 2011
I am so glad!
 
cookinginvictoria December 3, 2011
Congratulations on being a finalist! I really love the simplicity of this dish, and the fact that it is a savory vegetarian entree. The vegetables here and the Pecorino sound yummy together, and I have a hard time resisting any dish that has a poached egg on top. I think that we will be having breakfast for dinner tonight!
 
Cristina S. December 5, 2011
Thanks so much! I too have a very hard time resisting poached eggs!
 
Ms. T. December 1, 2011
Congrats, this looks fabulous, and I love the idea that it could be a creative use for leftovers!
 
Midge December 1, 2011
Some of my favorite ingredients over toast? Yum! Congrats!
 
fiveandspice December 1, 2011
Congratulations Cristina! This looks delicious. I make something similar, but never have topped it with a poached egg. That will have to change!
 
Cristina S. December 1, 2011
Congratulations to you too! I will definitely be trying your puffs soon :)
 
Bevi December 1, 2011
Congrats! All of my favorite things are in this!
 
mrslarkin December 1, 2011
Oh, I loved poached eggs!! Congrats!
 
susan G. December 1, 2011
We can't call this a sleeper, because you are wide awake for breakfast. What a relief from all the sugar! I'd love to eat this right now, and will very soon.
 
aargersi December 1, 2011
I would eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Yum!
 
BlueKaleRoad December 1, 2011
Congratulations! I can't resist anything topped with a poached egg. This is a most definitely a lovely holiday breakfast.
 
Cristina S. December 1, 2011
Thank you guys so much! I am so excited :)
 
AntoniaJames December 1, 2011
This looks like the perfect "breakfast for dinner," if I ever saw one. Love it! Know my family will, too. ;o)
 
EmilyC December 1, 2011
Congrats on being a finalist! Love having a savory option for holiday breakfast!
 
gingerroot December 1, 2011
Congrats! What a delicious looking breakfast, combining some of my favorites, kale and sweet potato. I'll be trying this soon.
 
hardlikearmour December 1, 2011
Congrats! This sounds like a delicious addition to the holiday menu.