Creamy Baked Eggs with Leeks and Cheese: The Perfect Winter Brunch

It's a Sunday morning after a particularly bad snowstorm, and there is only one thing on my mind: brunch. I'm not thinking about yogurt and granola, or a green smoothie, or half a grapefruit. No. Those things are all good when the time is right, but right now I'm looking for something a bit heartier. That is why I will being sharing with you my recipe for Baked Eggs with Creamy Leeks, and Cheese.

Creamy Baked Eggs with Leeks, Herbs, and Cheese

This meal is simple, delicious, and full of protein, so it makes everybody in the family happy. The amount of people that you are feeding will determine the amount of eggs, but for me, I used a skillet that can fit about 4 eggs, to feed myself, my mom, and my dad.

You can choose whichever cheeses and herbs to use in your dish, but this morning I chose to add rosemary and thyme as the herbs, and I grated Swiss and Locatelli into the dish for my cheeses. I love adding rosemary and thyme to pretty much any dish, so that was a no-brainer for me. As for the cheese, if you didn't want to use either of the two I mentioned, Gruyere would be a very nice substitution. Along with those ingredients, and the eggs, you will leeks, butter, heavy cream, and salt and pepper.

Ingredients: Eggs, rosemary, thyme, leeks, unsalted butter, Swiss cheese,
 Locatelli cheese, heavy cream, and salt

Once you have all your ingredients assembled, cleaned, and chopped/grated, the fun really begins. I start off the process by cooking the leeks in the butter directly in the skillet until they are aromatic and brighter in color.

Leeks cooking in butter

I then add half of the herbs and cheese, as well as 2 Tbsp of the heavy cream, on top of the leeks, before cracking the eggs into the skillet.

Make sure the yolks remain intact. Once you've got the eggs in the pan, you can pour a bit of the remaining heavy cream on top of each yolk, and then add the remaining cheese and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste and then pop it in the oven!

After you're finished baking the eggs, you can divide it up to serve, or you can all dig into the same pan. Personally, I like eating from the same skillet. I think it brings people closer, but maybe I'm just weird. Serve with a piece of nice whole grain toast, and you've got yourself the best way to start your day! I hope you enjoyed your first taste of Elk in the Kitchen! #elkinthekitchen

Creamy Baked Eggs with Leeks and Cheese
Serves 3-4

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup chopped leeks, cleaned
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 sprig thyme, chopped
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I used Swiss and Locatelli)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt butter in ovenproof skillet. Once butter is melted, add the chopped leeks and cook until leeks become aromatic and brighter in color, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove skillet from heat and add 2 Tbsp heavy cream, half of the herbs, and half of the cheese into the buttery leeks. Stir once or twice to incorporate,
4. Crack eggs into the skillet, being sure to keep the yolks intact. Pour a bit of the remaining heavy cream on top of each yolk, and sprinkle in remaining herbs and cheese. Add salt and pepper to your liking.
5. Place skillet in oven and bake until whites looked cooked but the yolks are still runny. This will be about 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven.
6. Once the eggs are done cooking, remove skillet from oven, divide the creamy goodness between you and your hungry guests, and enjoy with some nice toast or a biscuit!