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Irish Breakfast: Rashers & Bangers & Eggs, Oh My!

Irish Breakfast

It’s that time of year when we all get a little Irish. I in fact have a wee bit of the Irish on me today. But I warn ya; I’ve a mouth on me. In fact I could eat the lamb o’ Jayjus through the rungs of a chair! So it’s a proper fry up for me today. Which is a traditional Irish breakfast just in case you’re a gombeen. Wise up ya gack ye!

Irish Breakfast

The Irish breakfast is a staple of the Irish household and most every eatin’ house on that Noble Island. Now I don’t care if you are a DNS jackheen or a culchie, why should the Irish have all the meaty fun? After all, they imported St. Patrick’s Day to this country so we may as well grab the delph and cutty knife and dig right in.

Now unless you are a thick tool, you know that a traditional Irish breakfast revolves around meat, so my version starts with bangers and rashers. Which may be familiar to you as sausage and bacon. However, the Irish versions are a bit different than their cousins across the pond. Bangers are larger than American breakfast sausage and have a heavier flavor. Rashers resemble ham and taste like a cross between ham and bacon.

But this is where I diverge from tradition. Because my Irish breakfast comes with baked eggs and is served in a ramekin, everything baked all together. Eggs baked in a ramekin are an ideal vehicle for so many ingredients. Why not take an Irish slant with assertive cheddar and plenty of that Irish meat I mentioned? It’s served up nice and neat and fully complete. It’s sure to get ya gummin’ for more!

Paddy's Day Food ParadeSpeaking of more. I don’t care if this is breakfast. I hope you saved room for some afters, and I mean more than a bag of taytos! Because I am as weak as a salmon in a sandpit. And that’s a good thing because this post is part of the The Daily Spud’s St. Paddy’s Day (Food) Parade so there will be plenty of treats to be had, both sweet and savory. I suggest you pull up an Arthur’s, as this proper fry up is just the start on the day.

Baked Eggs with Rashers & Bangers

These baked eggs get their inspiration from a traditional style Irish breakfast with rashers, bangers and eggs.

serves 4 CLICK here for a printable recipe

  • 4 sli extra-thick cut bacon (or Irish style rashers) 

    Baked Eggs Irish Breakfast

    Baked Eggs Irish Breakfast

  • 4 irish style bangers
  • 1⁄4 c water
  • 4 T heavy cream
  • 8 large eggs (or more to taste)
  • salt and pepper, as needed
  • 2 T unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
  • 4 T irish style cheddar cheese, grated
  • toast, as needed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Butter the bottoms and sides of four 8 to 10 oz ramekins.

In a medium sized nonstick sauté pan, cook bacon slices over moderate heat until they are crisped. Move the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Meanwhile pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat. To the sauté pan, add the rashers and cook until well browned on all sides. Add 1/4‑cup water to the sauté pan, lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Move the bangers to a cutting board and cut into 1/2‑inch dice. Break the bacon into bite sized pieces. Mix the meats together well. Divide the meat mixture among the four ramekins. Spoon 1 tablespoon of heavy cream into each serving. Crack 2 or 3 eggs into each ramekin and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cut the 2 tablespoons of butter into 12 small pieces and dot the top of each ramekin with 3 pieces of butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon each cheddar cheese.

Put ramekins on a baking sheet and bake, rotating pan halfway through, until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with toast.