thursday night smackdown

We are helpless in the face of cured meat products.

Saturday morning breakfast: scrambled eggs with chorizo and sharp cheddar, topped with leftover poblano vinaigrette from this week’s smackdown. English muffins and tea on the side.

The verdict: manchego might have been better, but this was damn good. Eggs with poblano vinaigrette is the perfect breakfast for the nose-stuffed among us: spicy, but the eggs and cheese moderate the heat of the peppers and punch of the vinegar with their creaminess, especially if you slow cook ‘em (Put the pan on heat so low you doubt it will have any cooking capabilities, and take anywhere from 10-30 minutes to scramble the eggs. Totally worth it, I swear, although best saved for weekend breakfasts).

This looks like a mess, and not entirely different from Thursday Night Smackdown dinner. I assure you, it is not.

Saturday Morning Eggs & Chorizo for the Cold-Afflicted, for 2
4 large eggs
Splash of milk or cold walter (optional)
1-2 oz chorizo (fresh or dried), diced
1 oz grated cheese of your choosing
Leftover poblano vinaigrette
Bread product of your choosing
Butter, olive oil or bacon fat (optional)

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat; add the chorizo and let it crisp up a bit and render some of its fat. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs up, adding a splash of milk or water if that’s your thing (we used milk), grate the cheese, and put the bread product of your choosing into the toaster.

When the chorizo is crispy and smells wonderful, turn the heat down an add the eggs to the pan; add a bit of additional fat if it looks like the chorizo hasn’t released much. Stir slowly as they begin to set. Take as long to cook them as you can stand, depending on your current hunger level.

Spoon the eggs onto 2 plates and top with grated cheese and poblano vinaigrette to taste. Grab your bread product and consume immediately. Gloat about how you could have spent $12 for this breakfast at the chi-chi cafe down the street.