Creative Egg

Here is brunch that looks like it took hours but really doesn’t. A just-baked potato gets sliced open and squeezed until the insides puff up, turning into the base for a soft poached egg and ribbons of smoked salmon crisscrossed on top.

The sauce is the quiet hero: cold sour cream loosened with a splash of white wine and a fistful of snipped chives. When it hits the warm potato and the yolk breaks, everything turns silky and rich.

Finish with finely diced red onion for bite and a spoonful of caviar for that salty pop. Serve straight away, while the yolk runs and the cool salmon plays against the hot potato.

Chef Tips

• Poach the eggs right before plating. A runny yolk acts as part of the sauce, so pull them early.
• Squeeze the baked potato hard at both ends to push the fluffy interior up and form a well for the toppings.
• Keep the sour cream sauce cold so it contrasts with the hot potato, and season it boldly since potato is mild on its own.
• Pat the salmon dry and slice into thin strips so it drapes rather than clumps.

Variations

• Swap the caviar for trout roe or capers if you want the briny hit without the splurge.
• Use flaked hot-smoked salmon in place of cold-smoked.
• Stir fresh dill into the sour cream sauce alongside the chives.