February | 2013 | the sunny-side up kitchen

Having survived six months, so far, of cooking on a college student budget, I can attest that eggs are magical. They can transform anything into a complete meal, make a regular sandwich into the ultimate sandwich, make a regular burger into the ultimate burger. They can even transform a plate of Brussels sprouts into dinner.

There’s a beauty to the perfect sunny-side up; it’s the balance between a slightly crispy exterior, tender whites and a gooey, oozing, buttery yolk that stains everything on your plate. And when you achieve something this superb, yes, it’s guaranteed that your meal will be that much more delicious.

Below is a no frills, no fuss BLT recipe, elevated to another level with the addition of, you guessed it, one perfectly cooked sunny-side up egg. A thin layer of regular mayonnaise moistens the bread and melds the ingredients together. Fresh, wild arugula adds a necessary peppery bite that cuts through the fat, and juicy slices of tomato counterbalance the thick-cut bacon, fried until crispy but not crunchy.

P.S. Never buy low-fat mayo. Please don’t make the mistake I did. The second I sunk my knife into that goopy, thick, stiff “mayo,” that tasted unnaturally eggy and fatty and was clearly not the mayonnaise I know and love, I cursed the fact that I let all the hoopla about buying “low-fat” get to me.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread of choice
2-3 slices of bacon
1 large handful of fresh arugula
2-3 slices of ripe tomato
1 egg
Mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Toast bread of your choice.

2. Fry up slices of bacon.

3. Fry one egg, sunny-side up. The trick to this: let the egg do most of its cooking on one side, then flip and cook other side for about 40 seconds.

4. Assemble sandwich. Spread thin layer of regular mayonnaise onto both pieces of toast. Pile on as much arugula as you can onto one slice of bread, top with tomato and bacon. Slide egg on top and finish with other piece of toast.