Fried Eggs and Mustard Creamed Spinach on a Bagel

At work we're hosting summer workshops for upcoming High School Seniors who are applying to College this fall. We provide snacks and last week we had bagels, but we over bought so we had a TON left over so I took some home. Including some specialty ones: Spinach and Provolone and  Sundried Tomato and Red Pepper with Mozarella. I got home that night and was really not excited about cooking. Chris said he wanted eggs and I thought about this recipe which I had seen in an older issue of Bon Appetit. Chris was a little apprehensive about the combination of spinach, egg and mustard, but this recipe seriously won him over. I think he said "Baby, this is really good." about 6 times in the 15 minutes it took to eat. I agree. The acidity of the mustard with the fattiness of the egg yolk was awesome. It was almost like a mock hollandaise.

Obviously I substituted the bagels for the bread crumbs. I think either would be delicious, it's just a matter of whether you want a heavier meal or a lighter one. I think in the future I would serve this with English Muffins rather than bagels if I was to use something other than the crumbs. I also didn't have half and half on hand so I did 2.5 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of butter, which I thought was fine, but stick to the recipe if you can. Don't skip the fresh thyme! It's really important.

Bottom Line: 4.7 Stars

1/2 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless country-style bread
5 teaspoons dijon mustard, divided
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 9-ounce package fresh spinach leaves
3 tablespoons half and half
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 large eggs
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss crumbs with 2 teaspoons mustard, 2 teaspoons oil, and mustard seeds in medium bowl to coat.

Scatter on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, add enough water to deep large nonstick skillet to cover bottom. Add spinach; toss over high heat to wilt, about 2 minutes. Scrape into sieve set over bowl; press out liquid. Wipe out skillet; reserve.

Transfer spinach to medium saucepan. Add 3 teaspoons mustard, half and half, and chopped thyme. Stir over medium heat until thick, about 3 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into skillet, spacing apart. Fry until whites are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Divide spinach between 2 plates, spreading out as base for eggs. Top with eggs, crumbs, and thyme sprigs.