Food writer Lisa Steele isn’t kidding when she says her new “Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook” (Harper Horizon, $27.99) offers 100 recipes that use eggs in “unexpected ways.”
These beautiful baked eggs make a sunny addition to any brunch spread, and add a bit of produce deliciousness at the same time. They’re baked in rings of roasted butternut squash. You can use acorn or spaghetti squash instead, but butternut lends itself particularly well to this treatment.
“Roasting the squash before adding the egg ensures that the squash will be tender and slightly caramelized,” Steele says, “while the eggs will be cooked to perfection in the center.”
Baked Eggs in Butternut Squash Rings
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1 large butternut squash
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh sage for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash the squash and cut crosswise into six ¾- to 1-inch slices. Scoop out the seeds and hollow out the middle of each slice to allow room for an egg.
Arrange the squash on the baking sheet and brush each ring with olive oil inside and out, then season with salt and pepper. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes, until the squash has softened.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently crack and slide 1 egg into the center of each squash ring. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and return to the oven. Bake about 8 minutes, until the egg whites are set and the yolks are firm but not fully set.
Use a spatula to slide the squash rings onto plates. Top with Parmesan, garnish with fresh sage and drizzle with olive oil.
— Recipes excerpted with permission from “The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook” by Lisa Steele, published by Harper Horizon 2022, $27.99 hardcover
