Sunnyside Lace Eggs
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Master the art of cooking sunnyside lace eggs with techniques from Appalachian cooking that enhance flavor and texture.
Sunnyside Lace Eggs
There’s an art to frying eggs, especially sunnyside eggs. And, there’s even more technique needed to make what I’m calling ‘sunnyside lace eggs’!
Now growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of Southern West Virginia, we saved bacon drippings. I mean bacon drippings were ‘liquid gold’. And, when it came to frying an egg in a hot cast-iron skillet, you always used bacon drippings.
I know that probably many of you don’t keep bacon drippings or have them at your disposal, so there’s another way that you can get these beautiful Appalachian Lace Eggs!
Sunny-Side Up Eggs
Sunny-side-up eggs are a perfect way to start the day and just take a smidgen of practice to get right. You’ll love how fast, easy, and perfectly simple they can be.
Crispy Fried Eggs
If you Google ‘lace eggs’, you’ll get mostly something vastly different from what I’m talking about here with frying sunnyside lace eggs. So, in order to help with understanding the technique in frying, I made a quick little video. Nothing fancy about it. Just me talking as I’m making these lace eggs one morning for breakfast.
Fried Eggs
Some things to remember about frying eggs from the Incredible Egg:
- Fresh eggs produce the perfect, best-looking fried-eggs – a compact oval with a thick white and a high-centered yolk.
- For neater shape, break eggs into custard cups first, rather than directly into the pan. Hold cup close to surface of pan and slip egg from cup into pan.
- Heat matters. If heat is too high, eggs will become tough and rubbery. Gentle heat preserves nutrients and allows for even cooking.
Sunnyside Lace Eggs Recipe
Now what makes these eggs lace eggs is the heat. You’re gonna start with a higher heat when you put the eggs in the hot skillet. And, for best results, have a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet and a large skillet at that. These skillets just make the best lace eggs. You’re gonna wanna hear the eggs cooking, the crackling, sparkling, popping, and frying, especially around the edges of the whites that ooze around the skillet.
Then you just regulate your heat, a little up and a little down, in finishing out the cooking. What you want to achieve is an egg where the yolks are somewhat sunnyside and the bottoms of the eggs have a crispy golden brown bottom.
Scrambled Eggs
Scrambled eggs are a simple and tasty dish that is perfect for breakfast or a snack. Scrambled eggs are prepared for no more than five minutes, from the minimum amount of ingredients.
People usually love scrambled eggs because they’re delicate with a creamy creamy taste. You can add your favorite spices or herbs if desired.
If you haven’t tried my French Scrambles, omg, you must!!!
Fried Eggs Recipe
A few more fried eggs recipes is always good. Well, eggs in general.
Bacon Dripping Skillet Steak Eggs
Za’atar Sausage Skewers and Sunnyside Egg
Good luck. May the force be with you. And, if at first you don’t succeed, try try again!
Sunnyside Lace Eggs
There's an art to frying eggs, especially sunnyside eggs. And, there's even more technique needed to make what I'm calling 'sunnyside lace eggs'!
Ingredients
- 2 pasture raised eggs
- 2 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tbl. butter
-
Sea Salt & Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Crack two eggs into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Use a small about 6-8" cast iron skillet and put it over medium high heat. Let it get hot. Add the olive oil then the butter..
- Let the butter just begin to melt and sizzle then add your eggs into the skillet. (Don't let the butter brown!)
- Gently jiggle the skillet to spread the egg whites. Carefully use a spatula to release the egg whites all around the perimiter of the skillet.
- Feel free to gently scoot and spread egg whites to the edges and cook. Careful not to pierce yolk.
- The egg whites will crackle, bubble and pop turning golden brown around the edges and 'lacey' like holes and patterns forming, sometimes a lot, sometimes not. The underneath of the egg whites will be crispy and golden brown.
- Do not flip the eggs. When the yolk (and underside of the eggs) is to your liking, remove to a plate and serve immediately.
Notes
In Appalachia we used bacon drippings. You can choose to do that in place of olive oil if you wish.
My Grandpa Johnson liked “Lace Curtain Eggs.” Of course he used bacon grease and an iron skillet to cook them! He lived in northwestern Pennsylvania.
He died when I was very young, over 50 years ago, but I still remember this.
Thank you for helping me relive the memory.
Thank you for the video!
Karen, what a beautiful memory. Yes, these kinds of eggs, bacon grease, cast iron skillets were part of so many lives, especially those in coal country and certainly states like WV, PA, KY, TN, NC.You were fortunate to have had this experience w/your Grandpa Johnson. He had great taste! Food has a way of bringing to light, hopefully, many pleasant and special memories. I’m so glad you’re here xoxx ally