Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches

Runny egg. Slightly crispy sausage. Creamy sharp white cheddar. Fresh, garlicky pesto. 

That's what went in between the slices of my toasted English muffin this morning. This breakfast sandwich is based on the Yolko Ono, which is the best fried egg sammie around, from the best Portland food cart: Fried Egg I'm in Love. 

Amanda is friends with one of the Fried Egg owners, Jace. We make sure to stop by every time we're in Seattle's little sister to the south…not just because we know Jace, but because holy fried egg, it's so good! And also, they have a lot of fun. Those guys are basically the only reason I still look at Vine. And they sell super cute tshirts. And they use Aardvark hot sauce, which I love. And, the sandwiches all have fun music-inspired names, like Yolko Ono, Sriracha Mix A Lot, Free Range Against the Machine, and Back in Black Bean. Annnd one more thing, they have contests on Facebook where you can help name their new sandwich specials. So fun. So good.

My favorite is their original crowd pleaser, the Yolko Ono, which inspired this lil' mashup here. Of course I still dream about the real deal, but this homemade version will totally do the trick between trips to Portland. 

If you're not putting pesto on your fried egg sandwiches, you're not livin', friend. 

Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches

Inspired by the Yolko Ono

For each sandwich, you'll need:

1 English muffin, toasted

1-2 tablespoons pesto (store-bought, or recipe below)

2 slices aged white cheddar

1 pork breakfast sausage patty, cooked

1 fried egg (over medium for me, please, with salt & pepper)

Hot sauce for serving

To assemble, add a healthy dollop of pesto to both pieces of English muffin, then add cheese to one side, top with sausage patty, fried egg, and other English muffin half. Serve with hot sauce. Dig in.

Basic Basil Pesto

Makes about 1/2 pint

1/4-1/2 cup  extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated parmesan 

2 garlic cloves

2 cups fresh Basil

1/4 cup cup nuts (I used almonds, but you can also use pinenuts, walnuts, etc)

Squeeze fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper

If using a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Ninja: add ingredients in order listed (not including salt & pepper), starting with 1/4 cup olive oil, and blend, slowly increasing speed, until smooth (use tamper as necessary). Add more olive oil if it's too thick. If using food processor, add garlic & nuts, and pulse for a few seconds until ground, then add remaining ingredients, and pulse until smooth (adding more olive oil as needed. 

Stir in salt & pepper to taste. 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Pesto Shrimp Quesadillas

So, you know that no-fish-and-cheese rule? The one that says not to mix fish and cheese? Well, it’s a thing. And sometimes I agree with it. I mean, fish is so fresh and light and…fishy. And from the sea. Well, from water. And cheese is heavy and creamy and rich, and from the land. From a cow. There are plenty of times where I would say absolutely no seafood and cheese together.

But I mean, rules are made to be broken. Right? Right. Case in point: smoked salmon and cream cheese. Classic combo. And how about clams on pizza? I’ve had that plenty of times, and ps. it’s awesome. Also, the good old fashioned tuna melt…ammiright!? These reasons, and many more, are why I’m perfectly comfortable sharing shrimp quesadillas with you.

Pesto shrimp quesadillas. Yep. Sweet little shrimpies, super herby homemade pesto, melty mozzarella, and salty crumbled cotija. Inside a crispy tortilla. If you ever doubted the shrimp + cheese combo, this will change your mind.

Also, did you know that you can throw pretty much anything in pesto? It’s not just basil and pine nuts anymore, my friends.  Parsley? Yes, please. Pumpkin Seeds? Do it. Garlic scapes? Yessiree. Carrot tops? Yep, throw those green carrot tops in there! Chocolate cake? Ok, now maybe we’ve gone too far. But maybe… ok, maybe not.

Pesto Shrimp Quesadillas

Tortillas

Peeled and deveined shrimp, cooked

Fresh mozzarella, grated

Fresh cotija, crumbled

Parsley & carrot top pesto (recipe below)

Oil for cooking

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil, and place the tortilla in the skillet. Flip a few times until the tortilla is warm (but not crispy) on both sides. Spread a thick layer of pesto all over the inside of the tortilla, sprinkle mozzarella on one side, top with shrimp, and top with cotija. Fold tortilla over, and cook on both sides until tortilla is crispy and cheese is melty.

Parsley & Carrot Top Pesto

Adapted loosely from this recipe

A little variety gives the pesto a fresh, less over-bearing flavor. And using garlic scapes definitely mellows out the garlic taste. If you can’t get your hands on scapes, I would recommend just starting out with one clove of garlic, see how you like it. Then add more if you really have some vampires to scare off.

3/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds, shelled and lightly toasted)

2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1 bunch)

2 cups carrot tops (from one large bunch of carrots)

4-5 large basil leaves

4-5 garlic scapes, chopped

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to thin if necessary

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Juice from 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Additional salt and pepper, to taste

Blend pepitas in a food processor until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Add more olive oil, salt, and pepper, as needed.