Maple Syrup-Fried Eggs and waffles

(Don’t knock this until you try it.)

(and I missed National Egg Day by a couple of days with this post. OOPS!)

I eat a lot of eggs. When people ask me how I lost 125 pounds, my first answer is that I exercised a lot. Then I tell them I eat a lot of eggs. People usually laugh at that second fact and think I’m joking, and that’s when I give them a stone-faced, “yeah, I do.” Because that’s what I do when I’m joking, they still don’t believe me.

For years, eggs have been demonized. The yolks do contain quite a bit of cholesterol, but the body is constantly manufacturing the stuff, anyway. For some people, this is a problem. For me, the benefit of the protein and nutrients locked inside of an egg shell is paramount to my diet. After all, of the 6 grams of protein in one large egg white, 100% is utilized by the human body. There is no other protein source on the planet like that.

But I digress.

One night, I was looking for a recipe that took eggs in a new direction for me. In looking for sweeter preparations, I came across a bunch of recipes for “maple syrup fried eggs”, most of them on Canadian websites. I thought about it a little, talked to a few people, and figured it would be worth trying one night when I wanted something sweet to snack on.

The technique is a bit of a misnomer. The eggs don’t really fry in the syrup, it’s more like they’re poaching or basting, since there is quite a bit of liquid.

So I toasted up some waffles, and fried up some ham slices with a little butter on a non-stick pan.

I place the ham atop the waffles, then use the same pan to cook up the eggs. For each egg, I add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup to the warm pan. As it starts to bubble, I crack the egg into the syrup, season with a little salt and pepper, and allow it to cook to your liking. The trick is to not have the heat up too high or you will caramelize the syrup. If you do it right, the syrup will thicken and the eggs will cook.

The finished product has the eggs and ham atop the waffles, and I drizzle the remaining syrup over the plate.

I enjoy a runny yolk, so I cook mine over easy.

It’s a fun egg preparation. The runny yolk mixes with the syrup and creates a little sauce to soak into the waffles. The ham helps to bring some chewy texture and saltiness. I’m really fond on these particular pre-made waffles, but I’m definitely going to try this with some homemade waffles once the iron is up and running.

It’s not a healthy dish, per sé, but when you’re training, and you don’t want to run to the store to buy a pint of ice cream that you’re going to devour in 3 minutes, this is a protein packed way to satisfy that sweet tooth.