Coddled Eggs with Potato Puree

I was happy to be tempted by this recipe because it really is delicious. Great way to serve eggs and potatoes in a creative way. The creaminess of the puree potatoes complements the runny yolk of the coddled eggs and the freshness of the chopped chives. This would be a hit with roasted tomatoes.

Coddled eggs and potatoes for breakfast? Yes, please! Creamy, buttery potato puree, silky egg yolks all in a portable container. What more could a girl ask for?

For my first batch, I put them back in for another 10 minutes. The whites were set and the yolks were not runny but still soft. Very nice, though.

For the second batch I simmered for 20 minutes and the yolks were slightly runnier and the whites had set. Perfect! I did experiment with the second batch a little. In addition to the chives, which were lovely and fresh, I added cheese and diced green onion to the potatoes in two and topped the last two with cooked and crumbled bacon. Yum! For those following a Keto or Paleo diet, mashed cauliflower could be used instead of the potatoes. I think this is a recipe I will gleefully be playing around with for a while.

Confession: Until I encountered this recipe I had never coddled an egg. Beaten them, whipped them, hard-boiled them, cracked them, and in my gentler moods, made them over-easy, but coddled them? Never. Eggs were not something I would eat as a child; their appropriate use was to make cakes rise. But as I age and develop health problems, eggs become a good source of protein. This made an attractive little dish which would be nice to serve at a small brunch.

Eggs and potatoes are a staple in our house. When I do not feel like cooking dinner or want to spend too much time in the kitchen, tortilla Española (Spanish omelet) is my go-to dish—an easy and simple recipe of potatoes, onions, and eggs. When I saw the recipe for coddled eggs and potato puree, it caught my eye but when I studied the recipe, it really made it clear this will be the recipe to make.

I’d never cooked in mason jars before. Some of the hurdles I found are for this reason only. I used a food ricer to smooth my potatoes and once I added the softened butter it turned into this beautiful, silken, fluffy cream. It took exactly the amount of potatoes to fill 1/3 of the jars. Once I added the eggs I noticed the jars were almost full. The cooking time was not accurate, but here is where it could be, for me, because I was not sure how to cook it.

Ready with the toasted bread and our coffees, my husband and I sat to enjoy this beautiful dish. The garnish made it look so appetizing, so we dove right in. We also added some freshly ground pepper, as we do we all eggs. It was, without a doubt, delicious. I have not eaten anything so fast in a long time. My husband was very impressed with the flavor and loved the idea of having it all in the jar. I will be making this again and over again. It will go on my brunch recipes files and I do brunch a lot.

A few things I would make differently though. The size of the jar, I thought was too small. There was almost no room for the egg to cook faster, little steam to circle around. If the mixture is on a bigger jar, the egg will spread a little more and therefore, will need less time cooking. I will still use the same amount of potatoes per jar. It made four good size servings. Also, for a small twist I would add some Parmigiano-Reggiano or Gruyere cheese to the potatoes for an even more complex flavor. Also, to save time, I would prepare the potatoes in the jar and save overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning boil the water and drop the eggs. This may need playing around with the cooking time in order to warm up the potatoes but it is worth trying.