Egg-in-the-Hole!

A Brunch with Winter Squash

Baked Eggs with Roasted Butternut Squash or Acorn Squash, Arugula, Heirloom Tomato

I’m going to get right into this delicious winter brunch, after a slight diversion into a bit about Butternut and Acorn Squash. If you are feeling like I’ve neglected the egg, please visit my earlier post: The One. The Only. The egg.

Butternut Squash

The “rounds” for this dish will come from the lower, bulbous area of the squash. It has a sweet pumpkin, potato-ey, and nutty quality about it that goes perfectly with eggs. A slight pain in the butt because you need to remove the skin. This is a winter farmer’s market find.

Acorn Squash

Some say it looks like an acorn, but I don’t really think so. Buy it in winter. It’s best when the skin shows a uniform green throughout. Good for baking, stuffing, and mashing. Kind of sweet to taste.

Both squashes are super healthy. Vitamin C and immune boosting qualities.

Recipe for 4

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 large Butternut Squash or Acorn Squash

2 heirloom tomatoes, cut in half

A few handfuls of Arugula

1 or 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Paprika – pinch

Hot sauce – if you like Fire-in-the-Hole!

Tools

Cutting board

Knives – a steady one to cut open the squash, a paring one the skin and innards

Mixing bowl

Roasting Pan covered with parchment or oil – eggs are the pesky, sticky culprit in this dish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375

Slice squash into rings, hollow out innards, using paring knife remove skin (you can leave the acorn skin on if you’d like – it’s not tough, very pretty, and healthy too).

Toss the 4 squash rings in mixing bowl and rub with olive oil and s&p

Place on oiled roasting pan and put into oven for 25 minutes, flipping once

Add heirloom tomato halves with s&p to roasting pan when flipping squash half way through

When squash is fork-tender, remove from oven

Toss arugula in olive oil and s&p, lay out on plate

Crack an egg into each roasted ring and place back in ovenwith the tomato until both are cooked to your liking – the yolk should be thick and runny, but the whites should be firm – about 3 – 8 minutes (times will vary, and we are all pretty specific about how jiggly or not our eggs are, so keep a close eye on your eggs, some people bake these 12 minutes.)

Top with salt and pepper, a sprinkle of paprika, and place on plate with arugula and tomato