Is it stuffing, breakfast, dinner? All of the above?
Hello!
Today’s recipe is breakfast for dinner and croutons for dinner. It’s the week before Thanksgiving so we do what we want. (I left town to eat pasta and puntarelle and then sit on a beach.)
This heaped skillet of tomato-soaked croutons, sausage rubble, charred scallions, and runny eggs basically gets you a whole diner breakfast of eggs, toast, sausage, and even a roasted tomato garnish — and doesn’t require the agility of a line cook.
Instead, its process is closer to Spanish migas, which was probably created by shepherds using what they had with them or found on their journeys. A little cured pork. A hunk of bread. Maybe some vegetables.
Migas’s lovability lies in the texture of the bread, which is simultaneously chewy and crisp (just like stuffing). Past-prime bread is moistened with water, then toasted in the rendered fat from chorizo and bacon or pork belly. The little crumbs crisp while the insides of larger pieces stay tender.
In today’s recipe, fresh or dry bread chunks are first toasted in oil, then instead of moistening the crumbs with water, they soak up flavor: some tang from tomato juices and vinegar (hat tips to panzanella).
Sausage and scallions brown in the skillet, then the bread and tomatoes return to crisp and sizzle. Sunny-side-up eggs add an important sauciness and conveniently can be cooked right on top of the jumble.
Sausage, croutons & runny eggs
Serves 4
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ½-inch-thick slices crusty bread
1 bunch scallions
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage
4 large eggs
1. Halve 1 pint cherry tomatoes and finely chop 1 large clove garlic. Transfer both to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Tear or cut 3 ½-inch-thick slices of crusty bread into 1/2-inch pieces (you should have about 4 1/2 cups). Cut 1 bunch scallions into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium, add the bread and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the toasted bread to the bowl with the tomatoes and toss to coat.
3. Remove the casing from ½ pound hot or sweet Italian sausage. Add the sausage and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet over medium heat. Break up the meat into bite-size pieces and cook until browned and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato and bread mixture back to the skillet and stir to combine.
4. Crack 4 large eggs on top of the mixture. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve with more Sherry vinegar for drizzling over, if desired.
PRINT THE RECIPE
SWAPS
Cherry tomatoes: The tomatoes here provide juiciness and acidity. You could try it with jarred roasted red peppers or thinly sliced raw red bell peppers.
Garlic: a little finely chopped shallot, or garlic powder or Italian seasoning.
Sherry vinegar: red or wine white vinegar, or lemon juice.
Crusty bread: I suppose you could use another starch, like pita or tortilla chips, or cooked lentils, beans, sweet potatoes, or regular potatoes. They might not be crispy, but they’ll be good.
Scallions: This is our green vegetable; yes, scallions are a vegetable. Instead, you could use thinly sliced red onion, fennel, kale or a handful of baby spinach.
Sausage: Use another cured meat like chorizo (fresh or dried), pancetta, bacon, lamb merguez — or pepperoni! Just cook it until it’s crisp. You could also easily make this vegetarian and skip the sausage. You might just need a bit more oil to crisp the bread.
Eggs: The eggs are adding a creaminess that makes this jumble of ingredients more of a cohesive meal. A dollop of ricotta or burrata could do the same.
THINGS TO ADD
Add bite-size pieces of leftover, cooked vegetables to the tomatoes in Step 1.
Add some herbiage like dried oregano with the sausage or fresh parsley or cilantro over plates.
Make it spicy by adding red pepper flakes to the tomato mixture in Step 1, or adding hot smoked paprika with the scallions.
Recipe testing by Theo Kaloudis
Had everything I needed on hand! Hooray! This was terrific.