Egg In A Squash Hole
Some chefs will tell you that presentation is everything.
Well that’s not exactly true.
Although it is true that we eat with our eyes first, it’s really all about the taste.
For instance, here’s a dish with a great presentation (that takes no time at all!)…
But more importantly it has crazy delicious flavor—sweet squash, creamy eggs, smoky bacon, gooey syrup, and a little kick!
Every time I eat this dish I am blown away by how good it is.
It’s amazing how seven ingredients—including an egg nestled in a slab of squash—can turn into your new favorite meal.
Egg in a Squash Hole
servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 acorn squash, ends removed, sliced into four ½- to ¾-inch slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ + ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 eggs (small, medium, or large only)
- 2 slices bacon, finely chopped
- 4 mission figs
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush both sides of the squash slices with the oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the squash with ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and bake it until it is tender--about 15 minutes. Remove from the squash from the oven, crack the eggs into the middle of each squash, and sprinkle the eggs with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Return the squash to the oven and bake it until the eggs are set--12 to 15 minutes.
- While the eggs are cooking in the squash, make the maple bacon figs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the bacon and cook it until crispy--about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Add the figs to the pan along with the remaining ⅛ teaspoon of the salt and cook until the figs are brown and tender--about 5 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more. Then add the bacon back to the pan, reserving some for a garnish.
- Top each of the eggs in a squash with equal amounts of the maple bacon figs and sprinkle with the mint. Serve immediately.
Notes:
- Depending on the depth of the squash slices, some eggs like jumbo- or extra large-sized may spill over the sides of the squash.
- The mint is a nice touch, but can be left off the dish.
