Green Eggs and Ham with Ital-Tots and Garlic-Cheesy Toast

Ingredients

  • 1 sack frozen tater tots, any brand

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Green Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup baby spinach or arugula (2 handfuls of leaves)

  • 1/2 cup fresh basil (about 10-12 leaves)

  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts (pignoli) (a palmful)

  • 1 small clove garlic, cracked from skin

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 2 rounded spoonfuls grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Eggs and Ham:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), 1 turn of the pan

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1/2 pound breakfast ham, chopped

  • 8 large eggs

  • A splash of half-and-half or milk

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Toast:

  • 4 thick slices crusty Italian bread

  • 1 clove garlic, cracked from skin

  • Butter, for bread

  • Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese, for sprinkling

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 425°F.

Open tots and pour four portions onto a nonstick cookie sheet. Sprinkle the tots with salt and dried seasonings and crushed red pepper flakes and toss them around a bit to get the herbs to stick to the tots – as the frost starts to melt, the flavorings will set into place. Bake the tots until crisp, about 12 minutes.

To make the Green Sauce, combine ingredients for sauce in food processor and process until sauce forms – this will be a pesto sauce for the eggs. Set Green Sauce aside and reserve.

Remove the tots from the oven and switch the broiler on to toast your bread.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO and butter to pan, then add the chopped ham and cook to lightly brown at edges, three minutes or so. Beat eggs and splash of half-and-half or milk with salt and pepper. Add eggs to the ham in the skillet and scramble them up with the ham to desired doneness and remove from heat.

Toast bread under hot broiler for 30 seconds on each side. Rub with cracked garlic, then spread with butter and top with a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano, diced mozzarella and ground black pepper.

Stir the pesto into the ham and eggs, making them "green," and serve with Ital-Tots and Garlic-Cheesy Toast on the side.