World Egg Day returns this Friday, 11 October, and to celebrate, Bord Bia has compiled delicious, nutritious and quick egg recipes, to inspire meals throughout the day.
The annual day of celebration serves to remind consumers that eggs are a kitchen staple and the starting point for a variety of easy, protein-rich meals.
Seeking eggs with the Bord Bia Quality Mark ensures that they have been produced to the highest Bord Bia quality standards, verified at every stage of production.
An average egg contains about 70 calories and six grams of protein, making it the perfect healthy option.
Eggs are also high in Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, selenium and iodine, which contribute to overall health and well-being.
To celebrate World Egg Day, Bord Bia has teamed up with Olympic track-and-field finalist and Irish record-holder Sophie Becker and Olympic bronze-medallist rower Philip Doyle to encourage Irish consumers to ‘crack on’ in the kitchen and try out new egg dishes.
Becker and Doyle regularly eat eggs to fuel their sport performance, so, as part of this campaign, they will showcase just how versatile the staple can be for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Read More: Bord Bia Calls On Nation To Celebrate National Potato Day
Recipes
Mushroom, Leek and Egg Tart
The flavours of the mushrooms and leeks combine beautifully with the runny egg yolk. Perfect for lunch or dinner.
Serves: 4
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 Bord Bia Quality Mark eggs
- 1 x 375g puff pastry sheet
- 1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
- 25g butter
- 1 large leek
- 4 large flat mushrooms, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 60g crème fraiche or mascarpone
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Zest of ½ a lemon
- 60g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
- Chopped chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 190ᵒC (375ᵒF).
- Beat one egg in a small bowl for the egg wash.
- To prepare the pastry: Lay the puff pastry out a large baking sheet. Cut a 2cm strip from the perimeter of the puff pastry from each of the four sides. Brush the remaining puff pastry with the egg wash, then prick all over with a fork, to prevent puffing. Place the pastry strips along the edge of all four sides to form a border that is raised, gently pressing to seal. Trim the excess and brush the border with the remaining egg wash. Chill in the fridge for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden. This will take approximately 10 minutes.
- While the pastry is baking, heat half the oil and butter in a frying pan until gently foaming. Cut the leek in half lengthways, then thinly slice and add to the frying pan. Cook over a medium-high heat, stirring and shaking the pan occasionally, until the leeks soften and turn pale golden at the edges. Transfer to a bowl.
- To cook the vegetables: Add the remaining oil and butter to the frying pan. Then add the mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes, until they soften. Add back in the leeks and the thyme and season.
- To assemble and cook: Mix the crème fraiche, mustard and lemon zest in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Working within the border, spread this mixture over the pastry.
- Spoon the leek-and-mushroom mixture over the surface of the pastry. Make 4 dips for the eggs, then crack the eggs into them. Sprinkle over the cheese. Bake until the egg whites are firm and the yolks are still runny. This will take about 15-17 minutes.
- To serve: Sprinkle over some chives. Cut the tart into quarters and serve immediately with a green salad.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving
Energy: 664kcal
Protein: 21g
Fat: 50g (23g saturated)
Iron: 4.6mg
Carbohydrates: 35g
Eggs Baked with Potatoes, Spinach and Bacon
This is a stress-free rustic dish with a delicious combination of flavours.
Serves: 4
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 800g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 150ml vegetable stock, hot
- Knob of butter
- A little oil
- 125g bacon lardons
- 200g spinach
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 125g mozzarella ball, torn
- 4 Bord Bia Quality Mark eggs
- 50g Cheddar cheese, grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180°C (350°F).
- To cook: Place the potatoes in a 30cm x 20cm buttered baking dish. Pour over the hot stock, then dot with the butter. Season and bake for 20 minutes, until almost tender.
- Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a frying pan. Add the bacon lardons and cook until just crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the spinach into the same pan and allow to wilt. This will take about 2 minutes.
- When the potatoes are ready, remove them from the oven. Dot the cherry tomatoes on top of the potatoes and then add the spinach, bacon lardons and mozzarella. Make four indents with the back of a spoon, large enough to hold an egg. Break the eggs into each of the indents. Season the eggs, then sprinkle over the grated cheese, making sure to cover the yokes, to prevent them from overcooking.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake until the eggs are just set, 10 to 15 minutes.
- To serve: Divide into four portions or bring the dish to the table and let everyone help themselves.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving
Energy: 534kcal
Protein: 23g
Fat: 37g (18g saturated)
Iron: 4.15mg
Carbohydrates: 37g
Bacon and Egg Muffins
Delicious with chutney or wholegrain mustard and a salad for lunch. If you don’t have large muffin tins, the egg white might overflow when you break in the eggs. If this is the case, you can just use the egg yolk and freeze the egg whites to use later.
Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 6 muffins
Ingredients
- 120g smoked bacon lardons
- 7 Bord Bia Quality Mark eggs
- 25g butter, melted, plus a little extra for the muffin tin
- A little rapeseed or olive oil
- 100g mature Cheddar, grated
- 150g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bread soda
- 1 small bunch chives, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 150ml whole milk
- 100ml natural yoghurt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to Gas Mark 3, 170°C.
- Butter 6 holes of a large muffin tin. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the batter.
- To make the batter: Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Add the bacon lardons and cook gently for 5-10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan onto a plate to cool.
- Mix together the cheese, flour, baking powder, bread soda and chives in a large bowl and season. Add the cooled bacon.
- Whisk together the melted butter, milk, yoghurt and one egg in a bowl. Add this to the cheese-and-flour mixture and stir until well mixed.
- Divide half the batter between six of the muffin tin holes. With the back of a spoon, press the batter into the bases and up the sides. Leave space in the centre to take an egg. Carefully crack an egg into each, then cover with the rest of the batter.
- To cook: Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- To serve: Cool for 5 minutes in the tin before carefully taking the muffins from the tin and serving.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving (per Muffin)
Energy: 388kcal
Protein: 19g
Fat: 31g (12.5g saturated)
Iron: 4.6mg
Carbohydrate: 22g
Potato, Red Pepper, Cumin and Mustard Seed Frittata
This mixture is also perfect for mini frittatas, for lunchboxes and snacks. Simply pour the mixture into a well-oiled muffin tin and bake for 10 minutes at 180°C.
Serves: 4
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 Bord Bia Quality Mark eggs
- 4 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
- 600g potatoes, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and diced into 2cm cubes
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- ½ tsp garam masala
Tomato and Coriander Salad
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 400g cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of ½ a lime
- ½ tsp garam masala
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp nigella seeds, optional
To serve: Crusty bread
Instructions
- To prepare the frittata: Heat the oil in a 25cm heavy-based, non-stick frying pan. Add the potatoes, onion and peppers. Then stir through the mustard seeds, cumin and chilli flakes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft, but not brown. Stir occasionally, to prevent anything from sticking.
- Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. When the potato mixture is cooked, using a slotted spoon, add it to the eggs, along with the coriander and garam masala. Mix well and add a little more seasoning.
- Preheat the grill to medium.
- To cook the frittata: You can use the same frying pan to cook the frittata. Heat it over a medium heat. If there is a little oil left from cooking the potato mixture, you can use that, otherwise add a little more oil. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Move the pan around to let the egg mixture run in under the potatoes and get to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, until nearly set. Place under the preheated grill and cook for about another 10 minutes, until the top is set and golden.
- To make the salad: Meanwhile, make the salad. Combine the scallions, tomatoes, coriander, chilli, garlic, oil, lime juice and garam masala, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well, then add nigella seeds, if using.
- To serve: Cut the frittata into four wedges and serve along with the Tomato and Coriander Salad and some crusty bread.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving
Energy: 652kcal
Protein: 24g
Fat: 28g (3g saturated)
Iron: 4.4mg
Carbohydrates: 71g
Discover the nutrient-rich egg recipes that Sophie and Philip created by following @bordbia on Meta channels, or visit bordbia.ie/eggs-crack-on/ for further information.
