Prime Rib Eggs Benedict

This dish kept me up last night because once the idea struck me, I couldn't stop thinking about it. A crispy hash brown cake topped with shaved prime rib, a poached egg, and a tangy Bearnaise sauce.   

No kidding, I thought about it going to sleep and several times when I woke up during the night.  I thought of little details, like using the leftover egg whites from the Bearnaise sauce as a binder for the hash brown cakes.  By the time I got up this morning, I had the idea all worked out.

This is by no means a tutorial on how to make a Bearnaise sauce.  There's a little bit of an art to that, knowing how to avoid splitting the sauce (over heating, too much oil) or over cooking the eggs.  If you have never made a Hollandaise or Bearnaise sauce before, I'd recommend googling a video or two on how to make one, first.     

Prime Rib Eggs Benedict

by www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients

You'll need

• 8 oz prime rib, finely shaved (or any thinly sliced roast beef)
• 6 eggs

for the hash brown cakes

• 20 oz refrigerated hash browns
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

for the Bearnaise sauce

• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 8 black peppercorns, crushed
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp cold water
• 1/2 cup clarified butter (melted but cooled slightly)

Instructions

1. Make the hash brown cakes. Mix all ingredients together. Form into six cakes 1 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400f for 45 minutes or until crispy and cooked through.
2. Make the Bearnaise sauce. Place the wine, vinegar, stems from the tarragon (leaves removed and reserved), shallot, and pepper in a small sauce pan. Cook over med-high heat until reduced by 2/3rds. Strain the liquid (gastride) and set aside, discard the solids.
3. Bearnaise sauce (continued) In a double broiler over medium to medium low heat, rapidly whisk the egg yolks and water until frothy and doubled in volume (about 5 minutes). Add the clarified butter in small batches, whisking continuously. Add the liquid (gastride) and chopped tarragon leaves. Whisk until thickened to point of coating a spoon. Keep warm in a thermos.
4. Poach the eggs. In a large pan with 1 1/2" of almost boiling water (190-200f) and 1 Tbsp of vinegar, ease each egg into the water. Cook for 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove.
5. Assemble the Benedict. Top each cake with some of the beef, an egg, and the Bearnaise sauce.

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Using a 4 inch ring mold makes forming the cakes easy and you can pack them tightly.

The gastride will be insanely fragrant, but don't worry, it won't overpower the sauce.

I use a mixing bowl over a 3 quart pan to make a double broiler.

Shave the beef as thinly as you can.  It doesn't have to be whole slices.

They were delicious, better than a normal Eggs Benedict but then again, it's not every day that I have leftover prime rib in the fridge either.  Next time I'd be tempted to pan fry the hash browns instead for time purposes.