WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Garlicky greens topped with fried eggs are a surprising and immensely satisfying way to start the day right. And, of course, this dish makes for a great speedy weeknight dinner as well. The hearty Swiss chard leaves made an ideal partner for a fried egg (a welcome change from toast at breakfast time), especially when the rich, drippy yolk broke and mingled with the earthy, nutritious greens. To keep our breakfast quick, we simply bloomed minced garlic in olive oil, then wilted handfuls of chard before adding red bell pepper for sweetness and a pinch
of red pepper flakes to perk everything up. The greens became tender and vibrant in 5 minutes. We then drained our vegetables to banish excess liquid before portioning them out and used the same skillet to quickly fry four eggs before sliding them atop our greens. A complementary spritz from a lemon wedge added pleasant brightness. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.
SERVES: 4
TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds Swiss chard, stemmed, 1 cup stems chopped fine, leaves sliced into ½-inch-wide strips
- 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 large eggs
- Lemon wedges
INSTRUCTIONS:
- COOK THE CHARD MIXTURE
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and garlic in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until garlic is light golden and fragrant.
- Increase heat to high, add chopped chard stems, then chard leaves, and cook until wilted.
- Add bell pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes and cook until chard is tender and peppers are softened.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a colander set in a bowl.
- FRY THE EGGS
- Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining 2 eggs in a second bowl.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Pour 1 bowl of eggs in 1 side of the pan and the second bowl of eggs in the other side.
- Cover and cook for 1 minute.
- SERVE THE DISH
- Remove skillet from heat and let sit, covered, for desired yolk consistency.
- Divide chard mixture evenly among serving plates, top each with 1 egg, and drizzle with extra oil to taste.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges
