Brioche with Gruyere, Prosciutto, & Fried Eggs

A decadent open-faced sandwich made with buttery brioche, melted gruyere, prosciutto, and a fried egg

This decadent open-faced sandwich is one of my favorite things to order at LA's A.O.C. restaurant, so I was thrilled to find the recipe in their cookbook and make it at home. There are only a few ingredients but they are some of my favorites: thickly-sliced buttery brioche bread, nutty gruyere cheese, salty prosciutto ham, and a perfectly fried egg. The sandwich would be very good with all those things alone, but the real restaurant-worthy addition is a fresh and zippy frisee salad with fresh parsley, scallions, and a bit of lemon juice and olive oil. The salad helps to break up all the richness of the cheese and meat and egg and adds a much-needed crunch among all those soft textures. It's a perfectly composed dish that we've been making for brunch the past few weekends. I think it would be equally suited for a quick lunch or dinner and can just as easily be made for one person as it can for eight.


Related Recipes:
- Croque Madame
- Breakfast Bruschetta
- Bacon, Egg, & Cheddar Sandwiches


Toasted Brioche with Gruyere, Prosciutto, Frisee Salad, & Fried Eggs:

• Preheat the broiler to high.
• Meanwhile, slice two 1" thick slices of brioche bread and butter both sides of the slices.*
• In a boil, combine 1 small head of torn frisee lettuce with 1 handful of parsley leaves and 1 thinly sliced scallion.
• Toss the salad with 2 tsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast both sides under the broiler until browned.
• Completely cover the top of each toast with a thin layer of sliced gruyere cheese** and return to the broiler until melted and bubbling.
• Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp. butter in a skillet and fry 2 eggs until whites are set and yolks are still runny.
• Transfer each cheesy toast to a plate and top each with some of the frisee salad and 2 thin slices of prosciutto. Place the fried egg on top of each.
• Serve immediately.

Serves two, easily doubled

*Brioche is so buttery that it's up to you if you want to butter the bread before toasting it.

**The cheese must cover the entire top of the bread or it will burn under the broiler.