Browned Butter Eggs with Ramps and Miatakes

I don't have too much time to rhapsodize this week (my Thesis draft is due on Friday!) but I picked up so many quintessential spring foods at the market yesterday that I couldn't not share.

I used to hate eggs - my sisters would always ask for fried egg sandwiches for breakfast before school, but I was usually happier eating leftovers from the night before. I still like savory things for breakfast, and have never really craved pancakes or waffles, but my attitude about eggs has completely changed. I don't want to insult my parents, but the eggs we ate as kids weren't anything like the kind I can get at the market. If I had access to these eggs back then, with their near-orange yolks and adorable blue and brown shells, I'd likely have eaten them every day.


Miatakes from Springwater farms (above) and ramps in my market basket.


For this rather decadent meal, I sauteed chopped miatake mushrooms and spring ramps (also known as wild leeks, great wild-gathered spring onions that have a great garlicky flavor, pink and white stems, and flat, green leaves) in a bit of butter, and in a separate pan, made a bit of brown butter, and fried some fresh eggs. They weren't the platonic form of fried eggs--they were, in fact, kind of brown--but oh, goodness, they were delicious. I piled on the mushroom and ramp mixture, added some chives, and toasted up some sourdough. Yes. Eggs have certainly come a long way.

Some people think you need to do something elaborate and time-consuming with local produce to really get the most out of it, but I think it's the opposite. Simple preparation, a little butter and salt, and you've saved time and tasted our local foods at their best. Using things like eggs, pasta, good bread, and good butter and olive oil, you don't need to have fancy tools or techniques to eat really, really well. And don't worry if things get messy - if it tastes good, and it makes you happy, eat it. Even if its a rather ugly egg.