Fried Eggs with Bacon
Bacon goes into a cold pan — not an eccentricity but the way to render the fat slowly. In a hot pan the edges curl and catch before the middle has any chance to crisp. The eggs then fry in that same fat, which is not thrift but flavour: nothing you pour from a bottle behaves like it. And keep the heat low under the eggs; high heat turns the white to rubber.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 17 min
- Servings
- 2
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 380 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 2 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Bacon into a cold pan
Lay the rashers in a cold pan in a single layer without overlapping. Turn the heat to medium. The fat renders gradually and the bacon cooks evenly along its whole length.
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Step 2: Fry until crisp
Fry 4–5 minutes, then turn and give it 1–2 minutes more. Go by colour: deep amber, not brown. Overcooked bacon turns bitter.
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Step 3: Drain it
Move the bacon onto kitchen paper. Do not pour the fat away — the eggs are going into it.
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Step 4: Drop the heat
Turn the heat low and let the pan cool for half a minute. On high heat the white goes rubbery in seconds and the base catches.
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Step 5: Crack the eggs
Crack the eggs into a cup rather than straight into the pan: no shell gets in and you see at once if one is off. Slide them gently into the fat.
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Step 6: Baste them
As soon as the white starts to set, tilt the pan and spoon the hot fat over the eggs a few times. That sets the top of the white while the yolk stays liquid.
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Step 7: Serve at once
After 2–2½ minutes the white is set and the yolk still runs. Season, lay the bacon alongside and scatter chives.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Salt the eggs on the plate. Salt on a raw white leaves small pale spots that never go away.
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Variation
For crisp lacy edges, fry the eggs over higher heat for 90 seconds — the white browns at the rim and shatters when cut.
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Tip
Strain the rendered bacon fat into a jar and keep it a month in the fridge. It makes the best fried potatoes there are.
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Storage
Fried eggs are not kept. Bacon can be cooked ahead and reheated for 2 minutes at 180 °C, which brings the crispness back.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 2 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 380 kcal | 760 kcal |
| Protein | 22 g | 44 g |
| Fat | 31 g | 62 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g | 2 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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