For years, I would eat eggs only as an excuse to have bacon and hash browns. And then I made this discovery—the French method of slow cooking. The results of this technique are so good, I’d be perfectly happy to eat the eggs plain, without embellishment, but in this version I still get my potatoes and bacon. This dish requires patience: it’s tempting to turn the heat up and finish the eggs quickly, but if you do, they will lose the creamy, custardy consistency that elevates this dish beyond breakfast. Try these eggs as a first course before something simple and light, such as a vegetable or chicken sauté, or grilled fish or beef. You can also serve them for brunch, with fresh fruit or a green salad.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　

Potatoes, Mushrooms, and Bacon

1 large potato, peeled and diced

　　Salt

　　2 strips thick-sliced bacon, diced

　　1/4 pound button mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

　　Pepper

　　

Slow-Scrambled Eggs

3 tablespoons butter

　　10 eggs

　　2 tablespoons heavy cream

　　Salt and pepper

　　

To Assemble

4 individual brioche rolls, or 2 slices good-quality bread, crusts removed, sliced in half into triangles

　　Potatoes, Mushrooms, and Bacon

　　Slow-Scrambled Eggs

　　Snipped fresh chives, for garnish

　　

Potatoes, Mushrooms, and Bacon

Step 1

Put the potato dice in a small pot, cover with cold water, and add a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until cooked through but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove it with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add the potatoes to the leftover bacon fat, and cook over medium heat until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook until mushrooms are tender and lightly brown. Drain any excess fat from the pan and set it aside while you cook the eggs.

　　

Slow-Scrambled Eggs

Step 2

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs and cream. Pour the eggs into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon or plastic spatula until they just begin to thicken, about 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

At this point, lower the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, season with salt and pepper, and continue to stir. Don’t cheat—in order to make the eggs as creamy as possible, it’s important to stir gently and continuously, and take your time. When the eggs begin to thicken, after about 5 minutes, remove the pot from the heat.

　　

To Assemble

Step 4

Warm the brioche or toast the bread lightly. Set the potato-mushroom mixture over medium heat, add the bacon, and warm thoroughly. Return the eggs to low heat and cook until they will just barely hold together and resemble a thick, creamy sauce, then spoon them over the brioche or toast. Spoon the potato mixture over or around the eggs and sprinkle with chives.

　　Cooks' Note

　　Truffles and eggs are a friendly, elegant combination and a great way to elevate this dish. If you're lucky enough to get hold of a fresh truffle, place it in a bowl with the whole eggs and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, and the eggs will absorb the truffle aroma through their porous shells! (They absorb other smells too, which is why it's best to store them in their carton.) If you don't have a truffle, a drop or two of truffle oil at the end of cooking will do the trick.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.