Egg Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 2 bread slices
• 2 bacon
• 10 g butter
• 20 g mayonnaise
• 1 g salt
• 2 g black pepper

Method

Cook the egg to a soft boil — six minutes in already-boiling water. The yolk should set just enough to slice without bleeding, but remain faintly yielding at the centre. This matters because a hard yolk becomes grainy and absorbs too much mayonnaise; a runny one seeps through the bread. Drain and cool under cold running water for two minutes, then peel and halve lengthways. Mash one half coarsely with a fork — you want distinct flakes, not a paste. Reserve the other half to layer whole into the sandwich for texture contrast.

Fold the mashed egg with the mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper. The acid in the mayonnaise is already breaking down the egg proteins slightly, making them silkier, so resist the urge to over-mix; three or four folds is enough. Taste and adjust salt — eggs need more than you think.

Render the bacon in a cold pan over medium heat. Starting cold allows the fat to render gradually, crisping the meat without burning the exterior. When the fat is pooled and the bacon is translucent-gold at the edges (about five to six minutes), increase the heat to medium-high. You're looking for the colour to deepen to mahogany with dark, crisp edges. This takes another two to three minutes. The pan-frying isn't just about texture here — the Maillard reaction on the surface creates savoury depth that ballasts the richness of the egg and mayonnaise. Transfer to a paper towel to blot excess fat.

Lightly butter both bread slices — not so much that it pools and greases your hands, but enough that the bread toasts pale gold if you warm the assembled sandwich briefly in the same pan. Spread the egg mixture on the left slice, layer the bacon in two overlapping strips, place the reserved egg half in the centre, then press the right slice down firmly. The compression binds everything; without it, the sandwich collapses on the first bite.

Cut diagonally corner to corner. The triangular format isn't vanity — it gives you a better grip and the extended corners crisp slightly more when eating. Serve immediately while the bread is still warm and the yolk half is still yielding.