Egg Stuffed Tomato
What is more perfect than a fried egg? Pretty much nothing. Think about it. A perfectly fried egg has a soft, fluffy white with those crisp outer edges, and a perfectly gelled, yet still runny yolk. And when you cut in to the egg? Pure perfection. The yolk runs all over the plate, covering the rest of your meal like a delicious sauce. Why not take this little piece of perfection and stuff it inside a tomato?
Honestly, I'm not sure why I haven't thought of this idea earlier--and, I can't take all the credit. This morning, I was watching "The Kitchen" on Food Network and was inspired by this recipe created by Marcela Valladolid. This tomato inspired episode of "The Kitchen" was full of amazing ideas but this one surly takes the cake. I made a few swaps in my version of this recipe to lighten up the dish just a little bit, but the idea is the same. You have salty, smokey turkey sausage (instead of chorizo) cooked with thinly sliced yukon gold potatoes stuffed inside a well seasoned tomato. I used one of my farmers market tomatoes, however, I'd suggest using a meaty, beefy, beefsteak tomato as it stands up to baking better. I like the creaminess and lightness the queso fresco adds to the dish. Its a mild cheese that really adds a nice finish to the tomato. I just use a tiny sprinkle. And for a pop at the end, I squeeze on a little lemon juice and sprinkle with cilantro.
What are you waiting for? Get cooking! You can find my recipe below. Each tomato comes in at around 300 calories with the cheese. If you opt out of using cheese, your baked tomato will come in at around 250 calories.
INGREDIENTS: (Serves 4) 4 beefsteak tomatoes Salt and pepper 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 1 cup yukon gold potatoes, cut into small cubes 6 ounces turkey sausage (or you could use chicken sausage) 4 large eggs Queso fresco, for garnish Cilantro, chopped, for garnish 1 lemon | DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice off the top part of the tomatoes horizontally and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Season the tomatoes heavily with salt and pepper. (DO NOT throw away the flesh, save for another use!) Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain off excess oil. Add the sausage to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Transfer the potatoes back to the pan with the chorizo. Keep cooking until the sausage is crisp, about 1-2 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and drain off excess fat on a paper towel. Divide the potato mixture evenly between the scooped out tomatoes. Crack one egg onto each of the tomatoes and season the egg with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the egg whites are fully cooked. Crumble queso fresco on top and sprinkle with cilantro. Squeeze a tiny dribble of fresh lemon juice over the tomato. Serve immediately. |