A Different Benedict

eggs

When I heard that Brooklyn’s legendary Junior’s restaurant was releasing new a cookbook, you know I was all up on this. I mean, this is the place that invented the “something different” sandwich: two giant potato latkes holding up a bevy of beef brisket.

That monstrosity/amazingness isn’t included in Junior’s Home Cooking, but they do have another spin for how to combine breakfast beef and carbs. The Junior’s “different benedict” offers up eggs and hollandaise over corned beef hash. Yes.

A Different Benedict

Foolproof Hollandaise (see recipe below)
1 1?2 pounds baking potatoes
1 pound corned beef, purchased from the deli counter or leftover
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onion (2 large)
1?3 cup heavy cream
Table salt and ground white pepper, to taste
1?2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
8 extra-large eggs
4 English muffins, split and toasted right before serving
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Diced red bell pepper or diced roasted red pepper (optional)

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1. Make the Foolproof Hollandaise and keep warm.

2. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1?2-inch dice. Cook in lightly salted boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes, then drain well.

3. Pulse the corned beef in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the garlic and paprika.

4. In a large skillet over medium, heat the butter and oil together; add the potatoes and onion and sauté until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the corned beef and cook, stirring, until the mixture has browned, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a dish and keep warm. Wipe out the skillet.

5. Fill the skillet half full with water, add the vinegar and about 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer. Crack each egg into a small cup, one at a time, and gently slide into the skillet. Depending on the size of your skillet, you can probably poach 4 eggs at a time. Let the water return to a boil, then reduce the heat
to low and poach the eggs until the whites have set but the yolks are still soft, about 21?2 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Transfer the poached eggs to a bowl of hot water while you poach the rest; the water should be just hot enough to keep them warm, not to cook them further.

6. To assemble the Benedicts, place one toasted muffin (2 halves) on each of 4 plates. Cover each half with a generous helping of hash, shaping it into a freeform patty in the pan with a metal spatula before lifting it onto the muffin.

Top each muffin half with an egg. Spoon a generous amount of Hollandaise over the egg, letting it drip onto the hash and muffin. Generously sprinkle with parsley and/or red bell pepper if you wish and serve immediately.

Foolproof Hollandaise

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 extra-large egg yolks
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1?2 teaspoon table salt
1?4 to 1?2 teaspoon ground white
pepper, to taste
Few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)

MAKES ABOUT 1 2?3 CUPS
1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat (don’t let the butter brown) and keep warm.

2. Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a blender and process on high for a few seconds to blend.

3. With the blender still on high, slowly add the melted butter in a steady stream through the hole in the lid. When the mixture turns into a thick, creamy sauce, it is ready. Add a little yellow food coloring if you wish. Keep warm until ready to use.

To keep the sauce warm, pour it back into the saucepan, cover, and place in a warm oven (275°
to 300°F) until you’re ready to use it. The sauce will thicken slightly more upon standing.

See Junior’s Home Cooking for more comfort food recipes.

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