Scrambled Eggs With Prosciutto

It’s hard to compete with deep-fried cotton candy. But that’s pretty much what I face each Sunday morning, as the girls plead for a trip to Dunkin’ Doughnuts.

So this weekend I pulled out the secret weapon. Prosciutto bits. Like bacon bits, but better.

And better than doughnuts. I rule.

Ingredients

eggs
prosciutto bits
extra sharp cheddar cheese
bacon fat (not pictured)

Directions

In a non-stick pan over high heat, melt one or two tablespoons of bacon fat. If you don’t already filter and store yours, follow that link. Seriously. It’s good stuff.

Crack the eggs directly into the hot pan. (I showed how to do the one-handed thing in the baked mac and cheese post.)

I used to crack mine into a bowl and stir them before adding to the pan. I finally realized all I was doing was making another bowl and fork that I’d have to wash when I’m done. And doing it this way makes the eggs more interesting anyway — little bits of white mixed in with the yellow. Makes it obvious it’s not some pre-mixed egg-like thing from a box.

Crack the yolks, if they survived the drop into the pan, and stir everything up. You don’t need to whip it like you’re making an omelet.

Once the eggs start to firm up, add the prosciutto bits.

Keep stirring the eggs, and breaking up big pieces, until they are almost completely cooked. If they still look wet and shiny, they’re not quite done yet. When they look mostly dry, turn off the heat and add the cheese. Don’t worry about exact measurements. My rule of thumb is that the amount of cheese should be no more than half the amount of eggs. (Yes, that’s a lot of cheese.)

Stir the cheese in with the eggs. The heat from the eggs should be enough to melt the cheese. You don’t want to leave it on the heat and have the cheese get all runny and separate from the eggs.

Turn the finished eggs out onto your nicest plates for a classy presentation.

Hey, this was for an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old. These are their nicest plates.

Unlike my usual advice to clean up immediately, when making this I’ll leave the pan and all the ingredients on the stove. They almost always ask for more.

And that’s it.

Speaking of eating at home vs. eating out, my 8-year-old realized this weekend that we have chicken tenders, we have apples, we have chocolate milk. She can have a whole kids meal at home. If I can teach them that a home-cooked meal is a treat, and eating out is what you do when you don’t have time for anything good … then I’ll believe I’ve made the world a slightly better place.