5 Ingredients or Fewer

Decadent Fried Egg Sandwich

by:
May 30, 2012
4
2 Ratings
Decadent Fried Egg Sandwich
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

Many years ago, I read an article about how to properly fry an egg (on low heat) and it described this egg sandwich. The decadence is due to the amount of butter used for 1 egg. I love the complex salty flavor from the anchovy; this is an occasional treat for those times I feel like indulging myself. —HalfPint

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: HalfPint is a financial analyst — and a killer cook — who calls San Francisco home.
WHAT: Your favorite breakfast sandwich, but better.
HOW: Slow-cook a fried egg, then melt an anchovy in the same butter and drag your toast through it. Pour coffee. Dig in.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Egg sandwiches are classic, but HalfPint builds on that with an unapologetic knob of butter, anchovy, and a new method for frying your egg. You’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it this way all along. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 extra large or jumbo egg
  • 2 tablespoons butter, and more as needed
  • 2 bread slices, lightly toasted
  • 1/2 anchovy fillet or 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
Directions
  1. In a medium to large fry pan, melt the butter on low heat. Crack in the egg and gently cook until the white is firm. This could take about 15 minutes. Gently turn over the egg and cook another 5 minutes or longer depending on how cooked you like the yolk. Transfer egg to a warm plate, cover to keep warm.
  2. There should be a small puddle melted butter left in the fry pan. Add more if it looks dry -- you will want at least a thin coating of butter in the pan. Add anchovy and stir it into the butter, breaking it up. Cook about 1 minute.
  3. Increase the heat to medium high. Place bread slices on top of the anchovy butter and fry for about 1 minute or until golden. Fry one side only (you could fry both sides, but it makes a messy sandwich to eat).
  4. Place the egg in between the fried bread (with fried side facing inward). Add a sprinkling of ground black pepper if you like. Serve immediately.
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22 Reviews

Matthew D.
Matthew D. December 25, 2015
I just made this and WOW, it tasted like an egg sandwich that took a very long time to make and used a heck of a lot of butter. Absolutely nothing special here.
 
Ralph M.
Ralph M. December 8, 2014
Fried bacon. Fried panko green tomatoes in bacon fat. Fried hard egg in bacon fat. Garlic aioli on sourdough toast. Lots of black pepper. Best BLT sandwich ever.
 
George H.
George H. May 17, 2014
The bread looked pan-fried.

Had my grilled cheese sandwich (I make my own rye bread) with sardine and avocado. Would say it was equally good.
 
charles M.
charles M. May 7, 2014
Don't you think that the use of "decadent" to describe a dish is tired, overused, hackneyed and ready to be retired?
 
Jeff L.
Jeff L. May 6, 2014
Tried it for breakfast this morning, added a little Crystal pepper sauce for something acidic to offset the richness. Tasty and so easy.
 
HalfPint
HalfPint May 6, 2014
Yes, a little hot pepper sauce is not a bag addition at all.
 
HalfPint
HalfPint May 7, 2014
oops. sorry that should be 'bad'.
 
ChefJune
ChefJune May 6, 2014
I'm amazed I'm just now seeing this for the first time. It reminds me I need to bake bread! I'm such an anchovy lover I've been known to make anchovy sandwiches. This truly does sound SO decadent.
 
David L.
David L. April 21, 2014
Am I the only one that thinks 20 minutes is a bit long to cook an egg?
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames April 21, 2014
Over very low heat? No. But I agree, you'd want to make sure the heat was very low, monitoring it closely, lest the egg become rubbery.
 
fiveandspice
fiveandspice March 17, 2014
I've had my eye on this one. Can't wait to give it a try! Congrats on being a finalist!
 
HalfPint
HalfPint March 18, 2014
Thanks, fiveandspice!
 
EmilyC
EmilyC March 14, 2014
Congrats HalfPint! It's nice being in the finalist circle with you! I LOVE fried egg sandwiches (we have them often during the harried work week) and I can't wait to try this version. Yum!
 
HalfPint
HalfPint March 14, 2014
Thank you, EmilyC! I feel I'm in good company too. Can't wait to try your recipe.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 13, 2014
Sounds divine -- totally my kind of food -- so I'm adding it to my must-try-posthaste collection. Congratulations!! ;o)
 
HalfPint
HalfPint March 14, 2014
Thanks, AJ! This sandwich is my type of food too. Like vrunka wrote: simple, straightford and so tasty.
 
vrunka
vrunka March 13, 2014
woo-wee! this sounds fabulous!
 
vrunka
vrunka March 14, 2014
I just made this as a (unusually decadent) late night snack. wow! Simple, straightforward and so tasty!
 
HalfPint
HalfPint March 14, 2014
@vrunka, isn't it so good?! Definitely not just breakfast food. I've made this for lunch, dinner and midnight munchies too ;)
 
healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen March 13, 2014
congrats, half pint. Eggs and anchovies are a great combo!
 
HalfPint
HalfPint March 13, 2014
Thank you, healthierkitchen!
 
cheesypennies
cheesypennies February 28, 2014
Wow, does this sound amazing.