Bobby Flay’s Favorite Late-Night Dinner Is Actually Breakfast
His go-to recipe only needs 5 ingredients.
Dotdash Meredith / Janet Maples
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s been inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame. He’s won everything from an Emmy to a James Beard Award. Yet Bobby Flay is surprisingly humble, unexpectedly hilarious, and down to earth.
When we Zoomed into chat with Bobby Flay, the chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and Food Network star, we caught him in the heart of his Hamptons, New York kitchen. He had no entourage, and only one thing on his mind: being the host with the most come Memorial Day.
Even though the unofficial summer was still about two weeks away when we had our exclusive interview with Flay, he was already dreaming up the ultimate family-style menu for the crowd he'd invited over for the coming long weekend.
Considering he has been host to shows called “Grillin’ & Chillin’,” “BBQ Brawl,” and “Grill It! with Bobby Flay,” it makes sense that he puts a lot of time into planning and executing his grand grilled vision.
It also makes perfect sense that Flay has been tapped by Pepsi for their new “Grills Night Out” initiative designed to make all of us feel as confident as Flay cooking over open flame. There’s a good chance that at least one of the three exclusive recipes Flay shared as part of the Better With Pepsi campaign might be on his Memorial Day menu. (Our money is on the luscious queso-topped Green Chile Burgers!)
As he continues to flesh out his Memorial Day grilling line-up, however, we couldn’t resist asking if he always cooks with such finesse. There must be times, say, after a big trip or long day of filming, that he turns to takeout or a semi-homemade meal, right? Goodness, even watching this day-in-the-life video on Instagram makes us tired.
It turns out, celebrity chefs are just like us. When we asked what his favorite meal was on those nights when he just doesn’t feel like cooking, Flay quickly admitted, with a laugh, “Sometimes I order pizza! Otherwise, I like very simple things to cook at home, especially if I’m cooking for myself."
So what qualifies as “simple” to this celebrated chef?
“It depends on what time of the day it is. If it’s really late night and I’ve had a cocktail or two, I’ve been out all night and I’m still hungry, I’ll make a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. The classic New York sandwich. It’s one of those things that’s so good,” he told us.
If it's earlier in the night, especially if it’s a Sunday, then it's chicken. “It’s sort of ‘my protein.’ I really like chicken for Sunday nights, and I also like chicken on the grill,” he said. He also digs a couple of classic preparations. “I’ll make chicken Parmesan or chicken piccata.”
How to Make Bobby Flay's Favorite Breakfast Sandwich
As much as the chicken dinners sound tempting, we were instantly taken with the idea of the breakfast sandwich. If you ask Flay and our team here at Allrecipes, it need not be morning to get cracking.
We were even more sold on the idea of following in Flay’s footsteps after we found his signature recipe online. “It’s one of the things I grew up eating. We’d go to our local deli,” Flay says in an Instagram video demonstrating his signature sandwich. “It’s fairly straightforward” to DIY, he explains as he goes through the recipe.
After watching his process, it appears that four steps make all the difference:
Cooking the eggs in bacon fat.
Constructing the sandwich in the correct order.
Achieving the proper ratio of egg to bun to bacon (this is why he recommends scooping out some of the interior of the bun to use for something like breadcrumbs).
Adding harissa, a chili pepper paste used in Middle Eastern and North African cooking.
Whether you enjoy it at the start of your day, after a “Grills Night Out,” or for a no-sweat dinner after hosting a crowd for a mid-day barbecue, Flay’s 20-minute sandwich will surely satisfy. Craving something even quicker? Don’t miss this beat-the-clock 210-second breakfast sandwich.
Bobby Flay’s Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
2 slices bacon
2 medium eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 slice American cheese
1 tablespoon water
1 to 2 tablespoons harissa
1 brioche roll, sliced, scooped, and toasted
Directions
Place bacon slices in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and slowly cook the bacon until crisp, approximately 15 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan.
Crack the eggs into the pan, season with salt and pepper, and let cook until the whites are firmly set and yolks are not overly runny, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the cheese on top of the eggs and add 1 tablespoon of water to the pan to help steam the eggs. Immediately cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid for 15 to 20 seconds and allow the cheese to melt.
To assemble, spread harissa on top of each half of the toasted buns. Add the egg with the melted cheese and the bacon, then top with the bun.
Adapted from Misfits Market
Read the original article on All Recipes.
