Kale Bacon and Egg Sandwich with Garlic Thyme Aioli

There are some culinary endeavors that I have attempted numerous times and failed miserably at (ahem, macarons). I have a list of those things that I will one day force upon myself again with the knowledge that I failed at least once before but with the motivation to conquer it this time. I have to be in a mood for it. The motivated but patient mood where I feel confident enough not to let another failure get me down.

Then I have this other list of things that I haven’t yet tried even once but I am pretty intimidated to try. Well it isn’t so much a physical list as it is a bunch of mental notes. If I actually made a physical list then I would feel pressured to actually start working on it. Nobody needs that kind of pressure. Some of these things I know for an absolute fact that it will take me many tries to perfect (ahem, croissants). But some of the things on this mental list probably don’t really need to be there, I just need to jump in and finally try it.

I was feeling inspired the other morning so I embraced it and set out to make aioli (basically a garlic mayonnaise) for the first time. If you have never made mayonnaise or aioli before, it is actually really easy. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out. It just takes a strong arm and some patience. It is made through creating an emulsion of olive oil with another liquid (in this instance lemon juice and vinegar). An egg yolk is typically the emulsifier, but if you are not okay with eating raw egg yolk you could use mustard instead which would also make it vegan. It will definitely have a different flavor, but will still be delicious!

I’m curious. Is this picture making you mayonnaise haters gag right now? I know some people really hate mayonnaise and are really grossed out by it. I can’t relate. This picture makes me want to make another breakfast sandwich and slather that creamy deliciousness all over it. But that’s just me. I admit, I love mayonnaise. And I love it’s way more flavorful cousin, aioli, even more.

Anyway, you whisk whisk whisk while slowing drizzling the olive oil into the mixture. You want every little drop of olive oil to be suspended in the liquid. If you add the olive oil too fast the mixture can “break” resulting in just an oily mess. Mine didn’t do that. On the first try I got it right! I was stoked. And aioli is off my mental list. Success! And I got a good arm workout in the process.

This is what my plate always looks like when I make a fried egg sandwich. Egg yolk everywhere! And I’m totally okay with that because that yolk is the perfect dipping sauce for that sandwich. What I’m not okay with and what you can’t see is that half of that yolk is also in my hair and on my face. It happens every time with the first bite. Without fail. Just plan your shower after breakfast with this one. Egg yolk is moisturizing right?

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Yield: 1 Sandwich

Kale Bacon and Egg Sandwich with Garlic Thyme Aioli

Ingredients

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 3/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 slices sandwich bread
• 1 egg, cooked over easy
• 2 slices bacon, cooked
• handful sautéed kale
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Put egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, kosher salt, and thyme in a medium bowl and whisk together.
2. Slowly start adding the olive oil to the mixture, about a TBSP at a time, whisking continuously.
3. Be patient! Continue whisking until all of the olive oil is combined before adding more. This whole process will take about 5 minutes of constant whisking.
4. To assemble the sandwich, put a TBSP of aioli on each slice of toasted bread. Top with a handful of sautéed kale, two strips of crisp bacon, and an over easy fried egg.
5. Store leftover aioli in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0