Egg, Prosciutto and Gruyere Tartine

So, tartine… sounds all fancy, right? Well, don’t be afraid, it’s not that fancy. In fact, in this case, it’s really, really messy. Tartine is just a pretty way to say “open face sandwich.” This tartine was so pretty I had to try it when I saw the photo on the Simply Life blog. Plus I’ve been on the look out for some lighter dinner options, so this seemed perfect. And it actually turned out to be extremely flavorful and delicious. The Hubs definitely loved it. I have to admit that the prosciutto made it a bit too salty for me after a few bites, but that could just be a personal taste thing. I’m pretty sure cooking the prosciutto concentrated the saltiness a little as well since I’ve had plenty of prosciutto that wasn’t salty. Anyway, I think it’s worth a try. What’s really interesting is the layers of flavor. When you first bite into it you mostly get the egg and the lemony spinach flavor, but as you chew you start to taste prosciutto and finally the gruyere. This would make a great brunch meal, too!

2 thick slices of French, brioche or sourdough bread

Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced

2 tbs. + 1 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 cup spinach or arugula

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Sat and pepper

3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

2 eggs

Pinch of red pepper flakes

I don’t think you really need to measure much for this recipe. Even for the spinach, just add a little oil, a little lemon juice, salt and pepper, then taste and adjust. I will say, we used ciabatta bread instead of the suggested breads, and although I love me some ciabatta, it wasn’t the right bread choice for this. You really need the bread to be manageable in a bite with all this stuff on top. Just think about that when you’re slicing your bread and don’t get it too thick.

Brush olive oil on both sides of the bread slices and put them on a baking sheet. Broil each side about one minute to toast them. Yes, I just gave you instructions on how to toast bread. I know.

Toss the spinach or arugula in a small bowl with the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust to your liking. Remember that the prosciutto will bring a lot of salt to the table so you don’t need much here.

Cook your eggs sunny side up. The original recipe had an interesting method for making sure the whites get cooked all the way on top. They recommend covering the pan and cook for 4 minutes. I’ve never tried it, but my whites were a little runny this time so I may try it in the future. Let me know if you do.

Top the bread slices with thin slices of gruyere and prosciutto and broil for another one or two minutes to melt the cheese. When the cheese is melty, take them out of the oven, top it with spinach, and put your cooked egg on top of that. Season with (a little) salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. There you have it, a fancy, schmancy tartine!