Eggs Benedict & Asparagus Breakfast Skillet

This recipe is for the savoury-breakfast-loving mothers out there. Although I seem to post mostly sweet breakfasts on here my true love lies with the salty breakfast. When I was thinking about the type of breakfast that I would want for Mother’s Day two things came to mind eggs benedict and a breakfast scramble. So I thought, why not combine the two?

I swapped the english muffin with crispy hash browns, poached eggs with scrambled, crisped up some Canadian bacon, blanched some asparagus for a special spring touch, and topped it all off with a quick blender hollandaise sauce and a sprinkling of chives. This is my breakfast heaven, right here.

This is perfectly suited to any special spring brunch. It’s comforting and savoury yet bright and fresh. I love how the creamy sauce mixes with the eggs and gives the whole dish a refined flavour, taking it up a notch from a regular skillet. I think I just found my annual kick-off-spring brunch!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Eggs Benedict & Asparagus Breakfast Skillet

Makes:4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. medium-sized asparagus
• 6 eggs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 175 gr. Canadian bacon
• 3 cups hash browns (home fries)
• 1 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

• 1 large egg yolks
• 1/2 tablespoon warm water
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Trim asparagus 4 inches from the top. Discard bottoms, or save for another use. Pour water into a medium-sized skillet to come up a couple of inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add asparagus. Boil for 90 seconds, until crisp tender. Strain asparagus under cool running water to halt the cooking process. Set aside. Wipe out skillet to dry.
2. Place skillet over medium-low heat, with a bit of oil. Whisk together eggs until very well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into preheated skillet. Let cook, without stirring just until bottom is set. Stir, occasionally until eggs are cooked through but not dry. Transfer to a small plate and set aside. Wipe out skillet if necessary.
3. Add a bit more oil to skillet and set over medium heat. Add Canadian bacon to preheated pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown and crisp. Transfer to a small plate and set aside.
4. Add a couple tablespoons of oil to the pan. Add hash browns, season with salt and pepper. Quickly toss in oil and then let sit, without stirring, until browned on the bottom. Toss and stir occasionally until browned all over, adding more oil as necessary to help crisp it up.
5. To serve: Top hash browns with Canadian bacon, eggs, and asparagus. Pour hollandaise over top. Sprinkle with chives.

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

1. Blend egg yolk, water, lemon juice and salt in a blender until frothy. Melt butter in a small saucepan until bubbly; do not brown. With the blender running, gradually drizzle in hot butter. Blend until mixture is thickened and emulsified.

Hollandaise sauce adapted from Martha Stewart.