Southern Eggs En Cocotte
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 hearty servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 527
- Total Fat
- 31
- Saturated Fat
- 14
- Carbohydrates
- 35
- Dietary Fiber
- 2
- Sugar
- 4
- Protein
- 25
- Cholesterol
- 243
- Sodium
- 913
- Total: 1 hr
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 45 min
Ingredients
6 ounces hot maple flavored pork sausage (Southern style), crumbled
3 cups water
1 cup half-and-half
Kosher salt
1 cup stone-ground grits or course polenta
Freshly cracked black pepper
4 ounces grated Gruyere
4 farm fresh eggs
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Remove the sausage to a paper towel to drain. Use the rendered sausage fat to grease 4 large individual ramekins, (gratin dishes or individual cast iron pots work too) and arrange them on a rimmed sheet tray.
- In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring the water and half-and-half to a boil and season with salt, to taste. Rapidly whisk in the grits. Continue whisking while returning to a boil, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until thick and creamy, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Season with pepper and more salt, if needed.
- Divide the cooked grits between the prepared baking dishes and top each with cooked sausage and grated cheese. Make a divot with the back of a spoon into the cheese and sausage topped grits. Crack the eggs, 1 at a time, into a small bowl and top the ramekins with the eggs. Bake until the egg whites are almost, but not fully set, about 10 to 15 minutes. For more well-done eggs, bake until the whites are set.