Fabulous Weekend Breakfast Idea: an Open-faced Sammy

I have been down the last few days due to some family stuff. The husband has been taking extra steps to cheer me up. One thing he has done is make some really fabulous food. Today I want to share with you a fabulous weekend breakfast idea: an open-faced sammy.

When we went home for Christmas, the husband and I did a solo brunch on Christmas morning. When we originally made the reservation, it was with the intention of driving home right after dining. We changed our minds and stayed in town for most of Christmas day, driving around town to visit with family just one more time. We are glad we did it and don’t regret a moment of our extended stay.

For Christmas brunch, I ordered lemon ricotta pancakes. The husband got an open-faced version of a Croque Madame. He shared a couple of bites and I loved it. We are planning to return home in February and I am looking forward to brunch the morning we head home.

OPEN-FACED SAMMY

The husband and I love cooking breakfast together when we can. We mostly cook breakfast together on the weekends. The husband takes the gig solo during the week or we eat cereal.

The husband decided that he was going to do something special for me and replicating the open-faced sammy from Christmas morning was going to be it. Although the sandwich we were originally copying was a Croque Madame on the menu, we decided to skip the Béchamel. Our version has a fewer calories due to not adding the butter or milk for the Béchamel, it was a bit faster to cook, and it was still fabulous. (If you are interested in the traditional Croque Madame recipe, you can find it here from The Modern Proper.)

Ingredients:

• Gruyere cheese block, grated
• Loaf of sourdough French bread, sliced into diagonals
• Eggs
• Arugula or Spring Mix salad mix
• Heavy cream
• Sliced prosciutto (we got ours packaged from our grocer’s deli)
• Potatoes, diced (my favorite are Yukon Gold potatoes)

Instructions:

1. Shred the Gruyere cheese
2. In a bowl, lightly toss the cheese with enough heavy cream to lightly coat the cheese
3. Lightly toast the sliced Sourdough French bread
4. Place the lightly toasted Sourdough French bread in a baking pan and top with the Gruyere cheese that has been tossed in heavy cream
5. Place in the oven under a low broiler; toast until the cheese is melted and turning a light brown. Be careful to watch the oven as to not burn the cheese.
6. Fry the potatoes and set aside
7. Fry an egg for each serving; plan to cook, serving it sunny-side up
8. When the cheese is melted, pull the Sourdough French bread from the oven. Top with a slice of prosciutto, a fried egg, and the Arugula or Spring Mix. Serve with the fried potatoes.

To be extra fancy, we pulled out the cloth napkins. If you make this breakfast idea, you should pull out the cloth napkins, too. You deserve it!