Ultimate Cheesy, Eggy Breakfast Requires Just 2 Ingredients
You might’ve thought there wasn’t another way to cook eggs—or a strategy lazier than ordering an egg and cheese.
But here we are, with empty bellies and fridges and no desire to eat another leftover.
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Do you have eggs? Do you have any sort of cheese that can melt? Then we’d strongly suggest you say sayonara to the typical fried eggs and make something just as simple to make but a whole lot snazzier: Cheese-Crusted Eggs, also known as Frico Eggs.
Related: The Genius Trick for Magically Creamy Scrambled Eggs (in 15 Seconds)
Melt cheese, fry eggs in cheese. Duh. (Photo: Rocky Luten/Food52)
MelissaHM introduced us to this method for essentially swapping oil for cheese (!) over on the Hotline. She learned the “recipe” from her brother: Melt shreds in a pan, then fry the eggs in the cheese’s oil. The cheese serves as a boat for the eggs, so the whole combo glides easily off the pan—no prying pot-stuck eggs while trying to preserve yolks. We’ve tried this with Parmesan and cheddar and found both to work and taste just great.
Related: 9 Ways to Turn Hardboiled Eggs into Dinner
Need we repeat: This is crispy-melty cheese stuck to fried eggs—there’s no doubt it’s going to be good.
Serves 1
1/3 cup (or more) hard or semi-hard cheese, like cheddar or Parmesan, chopped or grated
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a skillet heated over medium-high heat, add the cheese. As the cheese begins to melt and release its oils, crack the eggs into the skillet over the cheese and season with salt and pepper. (Go easy on the salt if you’re using a salty cheese—unless you’re my mom and love salt, then by all means, you do you.)
If the eggs don’t cover all of the cheese, gently try to spread the whites over the cheese or scrape the cheese towards the egg. You don’t want to lose that cheesy goodness! Cook the eggs until the whites are set, or to your preference.
Transfer to a plate and enjoy.
More on Food52:
How to Eat Fried & Scrambled Eggs at Once
How to Cook Eggs Every Which Way
By Ali Slagle.