Recipe

Fried Egg Sandwich with Chile Aioli

A hearty breakfast dish to welcome the new year

By Steve Russell
Recipe by Alex Harrell

December 27, 2022

Photo: courtesy of Commons Club

Whether you’re hosting New Year’s Day brunch or just cooking for one, borrow from the recovery brunch playbook of chef Alex Harrell of New Orleans’s Commons Club with this comforting fried egg sandwich dressed up with chile aioli. Paired with a mimosa, it’s the perfect kickstart to the new year or any weekend morning.

Ingredients

FRIED EGG BREAKFAST SANDWICH (YIELD: 1 SANDWICH)
- 1 croissant or bagel of choice
- 1–2 slices cheddar or American cheese
- 3–4 slices bacon (Benton’s or Home Place Pastures recommended)
- 1–2 eggs
For the Chile Aioli
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
- 4 oz. olive oil
- 4 oz. canola oil
- 1 oz. Calabrian or other red chile oil

Preparation

Make the aioli: In a food processor, add all ingredients except for the vinegar and oils. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly add the oils, then the vinegar, until emulsified.

Make the sandwich: Cook the bacon as desired. Meanwhile, fry eggs in a medium pan sunny-side up or over easy, and season with salt and pepper. Split a croissant or bagel and toast with cheddar or American cheese, then spread with the aioli as desired. Assemble the sandwich and serve at once.

Steve Russell is a Garden & Gun contributing editor who also has written for Men’s Journal, Life, Rolling Stone, and Playboy. Born in Mississippi and raised in Tennessee, he resided in New Orleans and New York City before settling down in Charlottesville, Virginia, because it’s far enough south that biscuits are an expected component of a good breakfast.