Bagna Cauda Egg Sandwich
from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book

Nancy Silverton said that she thought this (sandwich book-writing) chapter was done until her friend Mario Batali showed up in the piazza of the little Italian town where Silverton vacations every summer. She made him an evening snack of grilled bread and an almost- hard-cooked egg bathed in a classic warm anchovy sauce. When he got back to New York, he called her and demanded, "You better put that recipe in your book!"

Literally translated as "warm bath," bagna cauda has three favorite Mediterranean ingredients: garlic, olive oil, and anchovies. The most common use for bagna cauda is as a warm dip for raw vegetables. See Bagna Cauda.

2-3 garlic cloves – peeled and finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
4 3-inch-long salt-packed anchovies – rinsed well, backbones removed – finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 stick (4 ounces), unsalted butter
1/2 cup, extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon, lemon zest – finely chopped
3-4 teaspoons, fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
kosher salt (to taste)

6 extra-large eggs
4 slices, white or whole-wheat sourdough bread
1 garlic clove – peeled
approximately 2 cups, arugula leaves – loosely packed (about 1 to 1 1/2 ounces)

To Make the Bagna Cauda: Using a mortar and pestle, pulverize the garlic and anchovies until they become a smooth paste. Transfer the paste to a small saucepan. Add the butter and olive oil and bring to a simmer over low heat. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt, to taste.

To Hard-Cook The Eggs: Place the eggs in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and turn down to a low simmer. Simmer the eggs for 5 minutes, and immediately plunge them into a large bowl of ice water for a minute or so. Take them out as soon as they're cool. Grill the bread. Rub one side of each slice of bread with the garlic clove, and slice the bread on the diagonal into thirds, to make triangles. Place the slices on serving plates, garlic side up.

To Assemble the Sandwich: Arrange the arugula over each piece of bread. Cut the top 1/2 inch off the eggs and, using a spoon, scoop them out of their shells in large spoonfuls onto the bread. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the warm bagna cauda over the top.

Recipe adapted from: Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book, by Nancy Silverton with Teri Gelber (Knopf)

Serves 2