Eggs in an Avocado Basket

I used to love an egg in the basket. Perhaps you know it by another name? Wikipedia tells me there are many names for an egg fried into a hole cut into a piece of bread. For instance (my favorites): moon eggs, one-eyed monsters, gas house eggs, frog in a hole, bull’s eye eggs? I’ll tell you the truth… my favorite part about egg in a basket? The little, round, crust-less, buttery piece of toast that you get from cutting out the hole in the larger slice of bread. It’s childish. But I don’t care. I’m almost 27 years old and I still prefer the little round circle of buttered toast to the rest of the dish.

Awhile back, I saw a photo on good ‘ole Pinterest: egg in an avocado basket. Interesting, I thought. My next thoughts went back and forth, trying to decide if this would be delicious or awful. It was pretty looking… and although I couldn’t have cared less about avocados for nearly two decades, I’ve been enjoying them a lot recently. Perhaps because they were on sale at our co-op last week. Maybe because I love green so very much. At any rate, I decided to try this strange concoction and was pleasantly surprised.

The avocado holds itself together, because you’re leaving the skin intact. As it slowly cooks though, the avocado becomes even creamier than usual. It’s almost custard-like by the time it’s ready. Albeit, this recipe’s a little unusual, but it’s worth trying at least once.

Eggs in an Avocado Basket

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 medium ripe, but slightly firm avocado
2 small eggs
salt and pepper, to your taste
1 tbsp. diced sweet peppers
optional ½ tsp. diced chives
olive oil

Directions:

Slice the avocado lengthwise, into 4 slices, the middle two about ½-inch thick, leaving the skins on. The outer two slices we won’t use, but you can eat them… or use them to make guacamole? An added bonus? Remove the pit to create a hole in each slice (I actually had to cut a hole that was big enough to hold the eggs, using a knife).

Lightly oil a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place the avocado slices into your hot pan. Break an egg into the hole in each slice. Add salt and pepper to your liking, then cover the pan. Allow the eggs to cook to your liking, until the whites are set.

Serve topped with the diced peppers and chives.