Fried Eggs with Greens, Bacon and Grits
We know I’m a sucker for a hearty breakfast, grits, runny eggs and greens. This dish combines all that plus tops it off with a kick of acidity, crispy bacon and brown butter.
This dish is super easy to make but it does have several components. Read the whole recipe first and look at the notes to help your timing.
True grits confessions. As I was whisking my grits, I noticed lumps :O!! Y’all I had old grits. The saying about old grits makes lumpy grits = TRUTH. A quick check at the clock confirmed that even if I was able to find quick grits (no way for the slow kind) in the grocery in a place that does not covet grits, I wouldn’t have time for a redo before guests arrived. I threw a Hail Mary, stuck an immersion blender in the pot while saying a penance. Mais J’mais! I had creamy grits. I don’t recommend using the immersion blender as a default, but if things go south, you have a way out.
Serves four people
Grits Ingredients
1 c of grits (I like stone ground)
4 c of milk
1/2 t salt
6 ounces of spinach leaves
Grits Directions
In a sauce pan, add grits, milk and salt. Bring the liquid to barely a simmer while continuously whisking. Adjust the heat to medium low and whisk frequently until the liquid is absorbed. Taste the grits, if they aren’t soft and creamy, add more liquid and keep cooking. Regular grits can take about 60-90 minutes and quick grits (despite the container saying 5 minutes takes about 10-12 minutes). I wish I could give you a precise time, but cooking times seem to vary even within the same brand.
Everyone likes their grits a different consistency so cook them a little longer if you like them thicker or add a little liquid to thin them. I like them just thick enough to eat them with a fork. Stir in the spinach
Bacon
8 slices of bacon
Line a sheet pan (or large pyrex) with aluminum foil and sit a cooling rack in it. Lay out the pieces of bacon and bake at 325. Start checking after 15-20 minutes. the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the bacon and the ratio of fat to meat. When crispy, transfer the bacon to paper towels and break into 1/2” pieces.
Brown Butter Hot Sauce Vinaigrette Ingredients
4 Tbl butter
1 Tbl hot sauce
2 Tbl lemon juice
Vinaigrette Directions
Put the butter in a frying pan on medium low heat. The milk solids will fall to the bottom of the pan while the liquid on top is clear. Stir frequently until the milk solids are dark brown in color. You’ll smell a nutty aroma.
Turn off the heat and stir in hot sauce and lemon juice. The sauce will be thin.
Charred Collards
Use this recipe (double it) or you can used smothered greens.
Eggs
4 eggs
salt
pepper
Fry them sunny side up. This dish has plenty going on so 1 egg per person is plenty. If you have big eaters, you can add extra eggs.
Assembly
On a dinner plate, put a bed of greens on the plate, top it with grits, then an egg. Drizzle the vinaigrette over it and sprinkle bacon on top.
Notes
This dish has plenty of pieces so you might be worried about timing the components. Don’t worry about it; these components are forgiving.
If you have slow cooked grits, start them first. After the grits have a head start, wash your greens and tear them to pieces. Cook the bacon. Begin browning the butter and cooking the greens.
After the bacon is cooked, you can add the cooked greens (covered) in the oven at 200 degrees. Wrap the bacon (with paper towels) in foil and put back in the oven. Grits can be kept on the stovetop on low heat — just add more liquid if it thickens too much.
The vinaigrette can stay at room temperature.
Wait to cook the eggs until all other components are done.
If you don’t have a cooling rack, you can use a broiler pan (make sure you use the bottom part of the pan under the slotted pan or you’ll have a disaster). If you don’t have that, cook the bacon in a frying pan on the stove.
