Open-Faced Truffle Butter Breakfast Sandwich

When I think of brunch, I immediately am brought to the sweet smell of pancakes, waffles, and french toast...

Of course, eggs are a staple brunch food, but I seem to always go for the sweeter options. I'm definitely a sweet over savory girl, for sure. Lately, however, I've been really into the savory side of things.

I know... I made another breakfast/brunch-y dish... and I'm not the least bit mad about it. Besides, it is the best meal of the day.

I love this recipe because all of the "cooking" aspects of it are done under a broiler. It's so easy, mess-free, and super quick. I'm not kidding when this whole sandwich can be done in under 15 minutes.

Besides being fast and easy to make, it's also a super flexible recipe. A breakfast sandwich-- or any sandwich for that matter-- is basically a blank canvas ready to be piled up with anything and everything.

I went with lightly toasted ciabatta bread, truffle butter, melt-y gouda, crispy prosciutto, and a perfectly runny egg, but you can literally take this recipe and run to any place in the world with it.

Some ideas for substitutes are:

Switch gouda out for any cheese of your choice and/or add parmesan on top to finish it off.

Instead of prosciutto, use bacon, ham, Canadian bacon, pancetta, salami, sausage, or steak.

Top it with different herbs and greens.

Play around with different flavored butter or infused olive oils.

You can make so many different creations, but this is one of my favorite combinations. I've always felt that using truffle is just a sad attempt to make things "fancier." I mean people add it to Mac n Cheese or fries and expect you to think that all of the sudden you're eating a gourmet meal. Don't get me wrong... both of those things are REALLY good... I just think it's definitely an overused ingredient-- and used in the wrong way/amount most of the time.

When I was younger, I attended a few Viking Cooking School summer camps. I remember one day we made a Tex-Mex inspired meal, and part of it were grilled corn cobs with a chili-lime butter. Since then, "flavoring" my own butter has been one of my favorite ways to take add a little something else to any dish. And it's so fun. All you do is soften some butter, mash in any spices/flavors, wrap it up to form a log shape, and let it harden back up in the fridge for a little bit. Then you can cut it into medallions and top anything with it! I love adding lime zest, different spices, parmesan, salt and pepper, or vinegar into it, also. For this one, I used a tiny bit of truffle zest I got in my Try the World box a while ago. Trust me when I say, a little goes a long way. I learned that the hard way with this stuff.

Anyway... If you can't get truffle zest, a little bit of truffle oil or paste will do the trick as well.

Or if you can't get any of those, add a generous amount of grated parmesan, salt, pepper, and oregano or basil for a little extra flavor.

And to top it off, I love the addition of microgreens to give it a little color and also freshness to help balance out the rich cheese and salty bite from the prosciutto. Arugula or any herb would be a great substitute for microgreens, but they can usually be found at any grocery store.

Truffle Butter Open-Faced Breakfast Sandwich

Makes 4

• 1 loaf ciabatta bread (cut into

• 4-6 slices gouda cheese

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 stick (4 tbs.) softened butter

• 1 tsp. truffle zest (can substitute truffle oil instead of truffle zest and butter)

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 8 slices prosciutto

• salt and pepper

• microgreens

• chives

Mix the softened butter, 1/4 tsp. salt, and truffle zest together until creamy. Form into a ball in the center of cling-wrap and wrap up. Form into a log, about 1 1/2 inch wide, and twist the ends of the wrap to create a candy look. Refrigerate until hardened and ready to use.

Crisp up the prosciutto in a skillet until crispy, leaving it whole. Once most of the fat has rendered off, place on a paper towel to absorb oil.

Cut the top 1/3 of the ciabatta bread off, leaving a thicker bottom half. Discard or utilize the top half in another way. Cut the bottom half into quarters. Place on a baking sheet and broil on each side until VERY lightly toasted on the top. Spread the cut side (top) of each with one pat (about 1/4 inch thick) of the truffle butter and broil again until golden brown. Top with 1 slice of gouda (use half a slice to cover any visible spots), and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Cook the sunny side eggs in the leftover prosciutto grease until the bottoms are cooked. Season with salt and pepper, and place under the broiler until just the whites are cooked and the yolk is still runny.

Top each bread slice with a sunny side egg, 2 slices of crispy prosciutto, microgreens, and chives. Dig in!