Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Home Fries
Serves 2 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 30 minutes · Total: 45 minutes
Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon has always struck me as the best of breakfast. Toasted English muffins, poached eggs, hollandaise, and smoked salmon instead of ham. I would take it over ham every time.
In this recipe, you’ll learn how to work around the timing. I start the potatoes first, and once they’re almost done, I make the hollandaise and poach the eggs right before serving.
Ingredients
For the home fries
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ small yellow onion, diced
- ½ small green bell pepper, diced, optional
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Black pepper
- Chopped chives or parsley
For the hollandaise
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of cayenne or a few drops of hot sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoons warm water, as needed
For the eggs Benedict
- 2 English muffins, split
- 4 ounces cold-smoked salmon or lox
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar, optional
- Chopped chives or dill
- Black pepper
- Capers, optional
Instructions
- 1
Start the potatoes
Cut the potatoes into rough ¾-inch pieces. I don’t peel Yukon Golds, but you can. Put them in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 tablespoon of water. Cover loosely and microwave for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once halfway through. They should be starting to soften but should not fall apart. No microwave is fine. Simmer the potatoes in salted water for about 6 minutes, then drain them well.
- 2
Brown the potatoes
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and spread them out so most of the pieces touch the pan. Leave them alone for about 4 minutes before turning them. Add the butter, onion, bell pepper, salt, paprika, and black pepper. Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the potatoes are browned and cooked through. Taste one before you turn off the heat. Add more salt if it needs it, then stir in the chives or parsley. Leave the potatoes in the skillet while you finish the rest.
- 3
Heat the poaching water
Fill a wide skillet or saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of water. Bring it to a very gentle simmer. Add the vinegar if you’re using it. You want small bubbles, not a rolling boil. Hard-boiling water pulls the eggs apart.
- 4
Make the hollandaise
Melt the butter until it is hot and completely liquid. Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon, salt, and cayenne in a tall container that is only a little wider than the head of an immersion blender. Blend for a few seconds. Keep the blender running while you slowly pour in the hot butter. The sauce should thicken as the butter goes in. If it looks more like mayonnaise than hollandaise, blend in warm water 1 teaspoon at a time. Set the container in a bowl of warm water while you make the eggs. The water should not be boiling. A small countertop blender also works. Use the lowest speed and pour the butter in slowly through the opening in the lid.
- 5
Toast the English muffins
Toast the English muffins until the cut sides are browned. I like them more toasted than I normally would because they soften once the egg and hollandaise go on. Put the muffins on two plates and divide the smoked salmon among the four halves.
- 6
Poach the eggs
Crack each egg into a small cup or ramekin. Lower the cup close to the water, then gently slide the egg in. I skip the whirlpool when I’m making more than one egg. Just keep the water at a low simmer and leave enough room between them. Cook for 3½ to 4 minutes for set whites and runny yolks. Add another minute or two if you want the yolks firmer. Lift each egg out with a slotted spoon. Rest the bottom of the spoon on a clean kitchen towel for a second so you don’t carry poaching water onto the muffin.
- 7
Put everything together
Place one poached egg on each muffin half. Spoon the hollandaise over the eggs, then add chives or dill, black pepper, and capers if you like them. Serve right away with the potatoes.
Recipe notes
Substitutions & shortcuts
- Frozen potatoes: Use a bag of frozen diced breakfast potatoes. Cook them straight from frozen, then add the onion and bell pepper once the potatoes start to brown.
- Prepared hollandaise: Packet or refrigerated hollandaise is fine. Warm it gently and add fresh lemon juice. Most prepared versions need it.
- Fried eggs: Use over-medium eggs when you don’t feel like poaching. The yolk still mixes into the hollandaise, which is the important part.
- Different bread: Toasted sourdough, bagel halves, crumpets, or hash-brown patties all work instead of English muffins.
- Different salmon: Lox and gravlax can be used the same way as cold-smoked salmon. Hot-smoked salmon is firmer, so break it into pieces instead of folding it onto the muffins.
- No immersion blender: Use a small regular blender. A large blender may not catch such a small amount of sauce very well.
Make-ahead notes
- You can microwave or boil the potatoes a day ahead. Let them cool, refrigerate them, and brown them in the skillet when you’re ready to eat.
- The salmon can be divided and the English muffins can be split ahead of time. I would still make the hollandaise and poach the eggs right before serving.
If the hollandaise goes wrong
- If the sauce is too thick, blend in warm water 1 teaspoon at a time.
- If it separates, put 1 teaspoon of warm water in a clean container. Start the blender, then slowly pour the broken hollandaise into it. It usually comes back together.
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