Chicken and Waffles with Poached Eggs

The Wednesday Brunch Gang...Wendy, Misty and Jen

The Heart Attack Waffle

My roommate Wendy came up with the idea to have Wednesday brunch, since we both had that day off this week, and it was so much fun. Our friends Misty and Jen came over and we totally pigged out. I almost called this post “heart attack brunch” because of what I served. Jen had mentioned savory waffles and that sounded perfect which is where the inspiration for brunch came from. We had waffles with fried chicken & gravy, bacon, poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce. Wow, if I ate like this every day I would weigh about 400 pounds! It seems like a strange combination of ingredients to top a waffle with, but it was absolutely delicious. We also had lots of mimosas and ended the day by going to a matinee where we watched the Spiderwick Chronicles, which was very cute. Needles to say as with most days that start off with champagne, I was in bed by 8:30!

Chicken and Waffles with Poached Eggs

I don’t really know how to write up this recipe as there are so many different ingredients involved, I hope this will be the easiest…I made my Fried Chicken & Gravy recipe but cut the chicken into thin strips, then made waffles from a waffle mix, just follow the instructions on the box, and fried up some bacon. I have included the recipe for Hollandaise Sauce and Poached Eggs below.

Hollandaise Sauce
½ Cup Butter, at room temperature cut up into tablespoon-sized pieces
4 Egg Yolks, beated
1 Tablespoon Water
Juice of 1 Lemon
Dash Salt

In a double boiler combine all ingredients except for the butter. Add a piece of butter and cook while constantly whisking until butter melts, continue adding one tablespoon of butter at a time and whisk until melted, then continue whisking until thickened, about 3 minutes more. If sauce turns out too thick, just add a tablespoon or two of hot water.

Poached Eggs
Fill a skilled up with a few inches of water and bring to a boil. Turn heat down until water is just simmering, and then spray with a non-stick cooking spray. Crack eggs into a small dish or measuring cup and pour egg into the water very gently while keeping the dish as close to the water surface as possible. Add additional eggs, but do not over-crowd the pan. When egg whites are cooked remove the egg from the water very carefully with a slotted spoon, serve immediately.

Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Frittata

My friend Therese just had her birthday this last weekend and it was a total blast! The theme was Spanish Tapas, and the food…simply delicious! There were about 50 people at her party, so I was asked to make some larger quantity dishes since not a lot of our friends are foodies like me. I made a delicious roasted red pepper and potato frittata, stuffed mushrooms, and roasted red potatoes with aioli.
I took pictures of my frittata, but totally forgot to take pictures of the mushrooms and potatoes, so I will have to post those two recipes when I make them again. I made four 12 inch frittata’s which I divided into 16 pieces, so it was a good easy thing to make for a large crowd. The recipe below is for one.

Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Frittata

1 pound bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 teaspoons oil
1 large yellow or sweet onion, cut into thin slices
2 large russet potatoes peeled and sliced very thin (I drug out my mandolin for this)
¼ cup butter
1 jar roasted red pepper (in water), cut into ¼ inch strips
3 cups grated jack cheese
12 eggs
½ cups half&half
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In 12 inch frying pan cook bacon until crisp, remove and drain fat from pan. Add oil and onions and sauté over medium heat until caramelized, about 10 minutes, remove from pan and set aside. Next add butter and potatoes and cook stirring occasionally until potatoes are lightly golden and tender, about 10 minutes, remove from pan and set aside.
In large bowl add eggs, half&half, salt and pepper and beat until well combined. Ladle a small amount of egg mixture to cover bottom of frying pan, layer with ½ each; bacon, onions, potatoes, roasted red peppers, and cheese, repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour egg mixture over layers to cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to one hour or until puffed and golden brown on the top, let rest for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Strata

Anything that resembles bread pudding has to be delicious, right? This recipe does just that, but more on the savory side with the addition of cheese and sausage. I also love this recipe because it can be made the night before. It’s perfect for brunch or even for a yummy savory dinner treat. This recipe can be cut in half, or even doubled if you are having a large amount of people over for brunch. Thanks Wendy for this delicious recipe!

Strata

1 Loaf French Bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
8 Eggs
½ Cup Milk
1 Large Sweet Onion, diced
1 Pound Spicy Sausage
8 Ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
8 Ounces Cream Cheese, cut into cubes

In large bowl add eggs and milk and mix together, add bread and mix until combined. Sauté onion until over medium high heat with oil until translucent, about 5 minutes, add to bread mixture. Next, brown sausage in sauté pan, drain grease and add to bread mixture. Mix well and let sit for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight to ensure bread absorbs all liquid. Place mixture into 9x13-inch baking pan and dot with cheddar and cream cheese to evenly distribute throughout strata.
Place into pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until center of strata is set and top is golden brown.

Potato Basil Frittata

Potato Basil Frittata

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

4 ted potatoes, cleaned halved and sliced into ¼ inch pieces

8 extra-large eggs

15 ounces ricotta cheese

3/4 pound Gruyere cheese, grated (I used and 8ounce bag of pre-grated Italian blend cheese)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan over medium-low heat. Add the potatoes and fry them until cooked through, turning often, about 10 to 15 minutes. Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter in a small dish in the microwave.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, then stir in the ricotta, Gruyere, melted butter, salt, pepper, and basil. Sprinkle on the flour and baking powder and stir into the egg mixture.Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and place the pan in the center of the oven.

Bake the frittata until it is browned and puffed, 50 minutes to 1 hour. It will be rounded and firm in the middle and a knife inserted in the frittata should come out clean. Serve hot.