Nourishing Breakfast “Salad”

I don’t know about you, but I seriously love an interesting, non-traditional breakfast meal that is more than just 2 eggs & a piece of toast. There’s something about the possibility of expanding what we know as “breakfast foods”, think eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, toast, pancakes, etc. However, these are also the classics that we all know and love for our mornings.

With this recipe, I was thinking about ways of using these ingredients that wasn’t simply putting them together on a plate. I’m a girl who loves her eggs & bacon, but let’s make that more interesting. The thought came to me: a breakfast “salad” type dish that will highlight each ingredient, yet mend them together in a wonderful, buttery soft, delicious meal. I just love how this dish feels special in some way — this is something I’d make for someone the morning of their birthday or a big celebration (that’s really how special it feels), but it’s also great for a lazy Sunday morning, where you don’t really feel like making the mess of pancakes or waffles.

This Breakfast “Salad” is made with 100% locally sourced ingredients including pasture raised bacon and eggs, fingerling potatoes, radish, fresh parsley, and green beans. You can use whatever you have on hand — any vegetables you have will still be fantastic in this dish. However, if you want to stick with the classic breakfast theme — soft boiled eggs, fingerling potatoes, and bacon will do just the thing.

My favorite part about this unique dish is the refreshingly light & airy dressing, that really combines all those fresh ingredients together — making it a true “dish” rather than your typical breakfast. I made this dressing with organic extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced shallot, and a pinch of sea salt & black pepper. Shake it all up in a mason jar, and gently drizzle directly over your assembled “salad”. However, unlike a real salad with lettuce and things, DO NOT toss — unless you want your runny yolks to be part of the dressing as well. I would not judge you for that one.

The one aspect of this Breakfast “Salad” that does kind of officially make it a “salad”, is the fresh herbs. We gotta have our greens somewhere, right? The refreshing surprise of some fresh parsley in a big, buttery bite of soft eggs & bacon is truly so special. It takes this dish up a notch, while also adding some extra antioxidants for our bodies. Definitely don’t skip out on this ingredient if you can — it makes all the difference.

Breakfast “Salad” 

Serves: 2

Total Estimated Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

Fingerling potatoes (4-5)

Radish (1)

Pastured eggs (4-6)

Green beans (1-2 handfuls)

Pastured bacon, diced (however much your heart desires)

White balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp.

Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp.

Dijon mustard, 1 tsp.

1/2 Shallot, minced

Mineral salt or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add eggs and boil for exactly 6 ½ minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot, place in a bowl of cold ice water and let rest for 10 minutes. 

In the same pot, add the fingerling potatoes and a sprinkle of sea salt. Boil for 10 minutes until tender. Remove potatoes from the pot and set aside to cool completely. 

Heat up a large cast iron pan and add 1 cup of water. When the water starts simmering, add the green beans and cover with a lid, steaming the vegetable for 6-7 minutes until tender and all the water has evaporated. Remove the green beans from the pan and set aside to cool. 

In the same hot pan, make sure all the water is evaporated, then add your diced bacon. Cook until crispy and heated through, then shut off the heat. 

In a mason jar, add olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced shallot, sea salt, and black pepper. Shake well until fully emulsified.

To prepare the vegetables, slice the cooked fingerling potatoes in half. Thinly slice the radishes. Keep the green beans whole. 

Peel the shells off of the eggs, and slice each egg in half. 

To plate, put a layer of green beans at the bottom of a shallow bowl or plate. Add the halved fingerling potatoes, chopped bacon, radish, and halved soft boiled eggs around the bowl. Drizzle with the dressing, and garnish with fresh parsley.