Baked Eggs with Onions and Cheese
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- 4 cups sliced onions Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups coarse fresh bread crumbs
- 1 cup grated cheese, such a Gruyére or Emmentaler
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 8 extra-large eggs
Instructions:
The trick with baked eggs is to avoid overcooking, because the consistency of baked eggs should be like that of fried eggs, with a barely cooked white and a soft, runny yolk.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Put the butter or oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper, cover the skillet, and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and tender but not browned, about 15 minutes.
- Combine the bread crumbs and cheeses and sprinkle half this mixture over the onions. Use the back of a spoon to make eight little nests in the mixture and crack an egg into each. Top with some salt and pepper and the remaining bread-crumband-cheese mixture.
- Bake for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are barely set; turn on the broiler and brown the top for a minute or so, but be careful not to overcook the eggs. Serve hot or at room temperature.