Egg-in-a-nest (a.k.a. egg-in-a-hole) is the inspiration for this breakfast sandwich. Cutting a hole in the English muffin and dropping in an egg before frying is just the beginning. To give this sandwich the true flavor of classic eggs Benedict, we’ve added fried Canadian bacon and covered it in an easy blender version of hollandaise sauce.

  • Yield: 4 sandwiches
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 30 mins

Ingredients (11)

For the hollandaise sauce:

  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sandwiches:

  • 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices Canadian bacon (about 2 ounces)
  • 4 English muffins, split and toasted
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 large eggs
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the hollandaise sauce:

  1. Fill a large saucepan a quarter of the way full with water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Place the egg yolks and lemon juice in a blender and blend on medium speed until the mixture lightens in color, about 30 seconds.
  3. Reduce the blender speed to low, remove the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid), and slowly drizzle in all of the melted butter. Turn off the blender, add the salt and pepper, and pulse to combine.
  4. To keep the hollandaise warm, place the blender pitcher directly in the reserved hot water until ready to use.

For the sandwiches:

  1. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add the Canadian bacon and cook, flipping halfway through, until heated through and lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes total. Remove to a small plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm; set aside. Reserve the pan.
  2. Use a 2-inch round cutter to cut a hole out of the center of each bottom half of the muffins (the bottom is the larger half, usually with cornmeal stuck to it); set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in the frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add the 4 halves of the muffins with the holes, cut-side down. Crack an egg into each hole (it’s OK if the egg runs over the muffin), season with salt and pepper, and cook undisturbed until the bottoms are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Using a flat spatula, flip the muffins and top with the reserved bacon. Cook until the second side is golden brown, about 2 minutes more for semirunny yolks. Remove to a work surface, keeping the bacon sides up.
  5. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the warm hollandaise on the cut side of each remaining muffin half, spreading it into an even layer. Close the sandwiches so that they are egg-side up, wrap in parchment paper or foil, and serve immediately.