Author Notes
An anytime-you’re-hungry kind of meal, Joe's Special goes with toast and coffee as easily as salad and a beer. Since this classic skillet supper dates back to 1920s, there are many variations in the method–-but the four key ingredients (beef, eggs, mushrooms, spinach) never vary. My preference is to make it a little bit more like a frittata than a scramble, and I go heavy on the spinach because you can never have too many greens. —Rural Eating
Ingredients
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1 tablespoon
extra-virgin olive oil
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1
onion, chopped
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8 ounces
mushrooms sliced
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12 ounces
ground beef, preferably grass-fed
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2
garlic cloves, minced
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1/2 teaspoon
dried marjoram or oregano
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1 1/4 teaspoons
sea salt
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1/4 teaspoon
black pepper
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1 pound
fresh spinach, large stems removed
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10
eggs
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1 teaspoon
fish sauce
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2 cups
grated medium cheddar cheese
Directions
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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. When it shimmers add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 6 minutes.
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Add the mushrooms and leave them to cook until they release their liquid and brown in spots, about 8 minutes.
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Add the ground beef, break it up with a wooden spoon, and season it with the garlic, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Cook, continuing to break the ground beef until it is evenly browned, about 4 minutes.
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Mound the spinach on top of the beef, cover, and steam until the spinach wilts. Uncover, stir the spinach into the ground beef, and cook until the pan is nearly dry.
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Reduce the heat to low and preheat the broiler. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the fish sauce. Pour the eggs into the skillet, allow the eggs to set on the bottom of the skillet for 1 minute, and then stir to make large curds with puddles of eggs in between. Leave the eggs to set on the bottom for 1 minute longer then stir once more.
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Turn off the heat but leave the skillet on the burner. Sprinkle on the cheese and place the skillet under the broiler until the eggs are no longer liquid and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
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