photo by: Mike Yoder

The Perfect Bagel Sandwich

The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence hosts a breakfast at their Teen Center every Wednesday morning. Did you know that? It’s free. FREE BREAKFAST.

Different supporters of the club come in and cook special things, and the community is invited to come hang out, visit, network and learn about the Club if they’re interested.

I jumped at the chance to guest cook at one, because: A) Bacon, and B) Awesome cause. I knew that cooking breakfast for 50 wasn’t a super simple feat, so I thought hard about what would be doable, yet delicious, and worthy of the event. I decided that breakfast sandwiches would be great because they’re portable for those in a hurry, easy to make to order, and well, bacon.

My recipe for 50 can easily be scaled back or even made larger, depending on the size of your party, but I will definitely be making these again when I have house guests or an event to host.

Here is enough for 12 sandwiches, but scale down or up as needed.

The Perfect Bagel Sandwich
12 bagels, toasted
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 red peppers
1/4 cup minced chives
12-ish strips of bacon (more is always good)
1/2 cup good maple syrup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Sauces and smears are always nice, so I made two for this occasion.

Herbed Cream Cheese Spread
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup chives
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Mix well and chill before serving.

Maple Sriracha Mustard
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Sriracha
2 tablespoons good maple syrup

Mix and serve.

If you have a lot of bagels to toast, a simple way to do it quickly is to slice them open, lay them face up on a baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray, and pop them under the broiler for a minute to brown. Otherwise, just use your trusty toaster.

Crack all of your eggs into a bowl, add the salt, pepper and garlic powder, and then add in finely chopped red pepper and minced chives.

Whisk together thoroughly.

Prepare a 9-by-12 casserole with a thorough coating of cooking spray, and pour in the egg mixture.

Bake at 375 F for about 20 minutes. When it’s almost set up, sprinkle cheese on top and bake another 5. The edges should start to pull away from the sides, and the center should be set. Watch closely so you don’t over or undercook.

For the bacon, just lay the strips on a broiler pan or put a baking rack on top of a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 F (can do with the eggs or before) for about 20 minutes, remove, coat with syrup, and bake again for 5 minutes until cooked but not too crispy.

Just cut the eggs into 12 slices, pop onto the bagel, top with a strip of bacon cut in half, and wrap in foil to retain heat. Let your guests decide how to garnish. A little arugula, some mustard or cream cheese, and a lot of love make these a great treat for a crowd.