Salsa Upside Down Eggs

Hi.

My name is Maddie and I don’t like sweet stuff in the morning.

Okay. I mean, that’s not entirely true. Put a plate of waffles in my face and yeah, I’m going to Leslie Knope ’em. But, in general, the thought of sweet stuff right when I wake up makes me queasy. And that can be a challenge when trying to come up with new breakfast recipes. Especially when you’ve got a husband, thirteen-year-old who runs solely on sugar, and two-year-old. A quick google search of breakfast recipes brings up a lot of rolls, pastries, french toast bakes – syrup-drenched loafy kinda stuff that makes me want to crawl back into bed. I make them sometimes and enjoy them sometimes (especially if we’re doing brunch instead of breakfast) but Give me a good ol’ egg bake with green peppers and I’m way more likely to devour the entire thing myself.

Sure there are millions of takes on toads in holes (bread! hash browns! bell peppers!) and plenty of egg casseroles with ham and cheese (don’t misunderstand I LOVE ham and cheese). But with eggs being one of the most versatile and useful staples in the kitchen, I’m generally looking for things I haven’t heard of that utilize those perfect little ovals to their full potential. Something savory and light. Eggy and cheesy. Served in pie slices? Is that just me? I doubt it.

If you’re looking to add a new savory breakfast treat to your cooking cannon, look no further than Salsa Upside Down Eggs. This dish is what you make on one of those mornings that feels like it’s going to last all day. You’ll likely have the ingredients on hand. And if you have the time before everybody loses their marbles about eating, it’s SO worth the wait.

Most of the breakfasts I make are quick or partially overnight because my son wakes up and just sort of flops around in everybody’s face until he has food. You know, that sort of thing all tweens do? Seemingly flopping right in your path, asking questions about food. Did he smell something cooking? What’s in the refrigerator? Did you have a plan for breakfast orrrrrr-

Just pop a granola bar in his face and whip up this lovely little egg pie. He’ll thank you later. Maybe.

Eggs – What’s the Deal?

An egg is an egg is an egg is an egg. Kind of. You’ll end up with a great breakfast pie or cookie or cake for that matter using the big brand or bargain eggs. And listen, I don’t have a turned-up nose about eggs. I often live on bargain eggs. The difference in pricing on ‘free-range’ or ‘organic’ or ‘organic free-range happy’ or ‘these chickens are living their best life yas queen’ eggs is insane. Ranging from a couple of bucks for the dozen to a buck per egg. Buy the eggs you can afford and don’t let anybody make you feel bad about it.

But.

If and when you can splurge – you will be treating yourself to a truly superior product. Beautiful bright almost orange yolks, firm yet delicate texture – when I’ve finished my splurge eggs while starting my bargain eggs the difference between the two yolks is…very noticeable. And the difference in taste is real. But honestly? The place the difference is most noticed is when the egg is fried in a pan and served next to toast. No one in my house notices if I use ‘eggs that fell from heaven chickens’ or ’18 for 99 cent eggs’ when I make a cake or bread a cutlet.

My point is, in the case of this dish, if you can I suggest you get the happy eggs. They truly are better. But it won’t ruin the dish if you don’t. I grew up eating this and we didn’t have happy chicken in the nineties. So. You know. Do what you can. It’ll be great anyway.

Salsa Upside Down Eggs

Serves: 6 (but actually 4 – but in seriousness I could definitely eat this on my own but won’t because my family deserves a better me than the one that would do that)

Ingredients

• 1/2 C Salsa (I use mild Pace but you do you – make sure it’s good and chunky)
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 C Sour cream
• 2 C Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instruments

• Pie plate, glass preferably
• Large bowl
• Whisk
• Mixin’ spoon
• Spatula

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F/177 C/Gas Mark 4. Grease your favorite pie plate with your favorite grease. (Pam or something like it will do just fine – butter will obviously be delicious.)
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until mixed well. Add the sour cream, 1 C cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix very very well.
3. Pour the salsa on the bottom of the pie dish. Spread it out evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 C of the remaining cheddar cheese evenly over the salsa.
4. Very slowly – DID YOU READ THAT I AM SERIOUS VERY. SLOWLY. pour the egg mixture over the cheese and salsa careful not to disrupt the salsa or cheese while pouring. Really, really, really slow your roll on this step. Go into a meditative state and calm yourself. Don’t mess it up. No pressure.
5. Sprinkle the last remainder of cheddar cheese over the top.
6. Bake for about 35 minutes. As you know every stupid oven is different for some terrible reason (I know, science) but just keep an eye on it. If you jiggle it and you can tell the middle is liquid, keep it going. If you insert a butter knife in the center and it comes out clean (some little cooked eggy bits are acceptable) you’re good to go. This is where your 12-year-old’s patience will be tested.
7. Serve immediately with a crusty piece of buttered bread. You don’t have to flip it over like other upside-down recipes, but you’re welcome to if you want. Also, it never hurts to have some extra salsa waiting on the sidelines if you want.