So we made a high-protein, low-carb dinner. The logic there was to, you know, to reduce morning-after bread-bloat, which is something that may or may not actually exist.
I love poached eggs! I love how eating them is like opening a present. I love how an ooey gooey yellow yolk just seeps out of the white encasement with the slice of even the dullest butter knife. And they are enough of a hassle to prepare that they can be somewhat rare — maybe a little more special than scrambled or sunny-side up egg preparations.
This is a warm salad made with wilted green Italian kale. Kale’s great slightly cooked because unlike spinach or arugula or any of the other more tender salad greens, kale doesn’t wilt and disintegrate with heat. Tomatoes add a little sweetness and acidity. Lastly, the dressing is a simple vinaigrette to cut the richness of the beef and egg.
- 10 oz bunch (or so) of kale, woody stems discarded and lightly sliced cross-wise into 1-inch ribbons.
- 8 oz of 1-inch or thicker beef steak, your choice of cut. I used a sirloin steak.
- 3 Roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise.
- 2 eggs
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
- salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon or more)
- pepper to taste
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add in a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Heavily salt both sides of the steak and place it in hot skillet, searing it and creating a caramelized crust. Flip once, cooking to desired doneness. I like mine rare to medium-rare. The thermometer at the center of the steak should read 120-126 degrees F.
- Once steak is cooked, remove it from a pan and let it rest on a cutting board or plate. Reduce heat to medium.
- Once pan is cooler, add in rest of the olive oil, garlic, and shallot. Scrap up the caramelized beef bits. Add in vinegar and stir, deglazing the pan.
- Turn off heat and added in kale and tomatoes, tossing lightly. Taste it and add salt if more is needed. Put a lid on the pan and leave it while you prepare the eggs.
- Bring water in a deep sauce pan to a simmer. There should be a few bubbles breaking the surface and steam coming off, but it shouldn’t be a rolling boil.
- Add in both of the eggs, with shell on, and let it warm up for a minute.
- Remove eggs and crack them each into small bowls. The egg white should be slightly coagulated and thick, but still translucent.
- Release the egg into the water by holding the bowl on the surface of the water. Tilt the bowl so the egg slips into the water.
- Repeat with the other egg and the small bowl. The eggs won’t meld into each other, no worries!
- The eggs will float to the water slightly before they are done. It should take 1-2 minutes to cook, depending on the freshness of your eggs. It’s better to undercook than to overcook the eggs.
- Slice up the steak crosswise.
- Lay down the kale and tomato salad and top with sliced steak and the poached eggs.
See? That is a fair bit of salt on the steak! I find that when steaks aren’t marinated or aren’t heavily sauced, they need a fair bit of salt because the seasoning doesn’t penetrate to the center, so the outside needs to make up for that. Plus, the salt creates a really nice crust on a steak.
Like so:
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