There's no denying the fact that eggs are incredibly versatile. You can scramble them. You can poach them. You can hard-boil them, even turn them into an omelet. And now, thanks to a viral TikTok recipe, you can fry them alongside crumbled feta cheese.
Picture this: a runny egg yolk at the center of crisp, bits of feta that's seasoned with salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of chili oil. If your mouth is watering from that description alone, well then you can thank recipe developer Grace Elkus, who posted a video of herself making these marvelous eggs from start to finish.
Elkus told Delish that her recipe was inspired by the crispy potato, egg, and cheese tacos from Ali Slagle's I Dream of Dinner. Slagle's recipe combines warm, fried cheddar with eggs, which got Elkus thinking about what other cheese pairings would work well with eggs. Feta, of course, was the most obvious choice. The salty, peppery and slightly tangy flavors of the Greek cheese is enough to elevate eggs from meh to stellar.
"I always have it on hand, it's packed with salty, tangy flavor, and you don't have to break out the cheese grater," Elkus said. "Just crumble it directly into the pan!"
Shortly after its debut, the feta egg recipe garnered more than 32 million views across Instagram and TikTok. It's no surprise why, considering that the recipe is easy to follow, it calls for a short and simple list of ingredients and is ready in less than 10 minutes. It's also quite astounding because who knew feta could even melt and crisp up like that!
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"A feta fried egg is exactly what it sounds like: an egg fried atop crumbly feta cheese," Elkus wrote in her blog. "As the egg cooks, the feta melts and crisps, resulting in a tangy, salty, crispy-edged egg that will ruin you for all other preparations."
The original recipe calls for one large egg, full-fat feta cheese, freshly ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. But it can also be changed to include whatever toppings and seasonings your heart desires! If you're craving more spice, add in chili crisp. If you're craving your own rendition of green-eggs-and-ham, add in some pesto.
"My friends used zhoug sauce in place of pesto and loved it," Elkus said. "I'd also be interested to see if you could crisp some kale in the skillet at the same time."
The key to making excellent feta eggs is a good quality nonstick skillet — "as long as it's truly nonstick and the coating hasn't worn off," Elkus specified. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet also works, but be sure to drizzle in extra olive-oil before you prepare your eggs.
Elkus also recommended using a block of full-fat feta packed in brine, "which melts readily, tastes more complex, and lasts longer than other kinds." The next best option is a block of full-fat feta wrapped in plastic. However, pre-crumbled feta or fat-free varieties, which are lacking on the flavor front and are unable to melt well, won't yield the best results.
After rewatching Elkus' TikTok and marveling at pictures of her recipe, I decided to try my hand at making the feta eggs for breakfast. I didn't have a nonstick skillet or cast iron pan at home, so I used my hand-dandy fry pan, making sure to heat it up and generously coat it in olive oil. I used Belfiore Cheese's Feta Cheese In Brine and seasoned my eggs and cheese with black pepper, red pepper flakes and a pinch of garlic and onion powder. Per Elkus' instructions, I made sure to cook my eggs and cheese over medium-low heat. And because I love a good runny yolk, I only cooked the egg until the white was set and the surrounding cheese achieved a golden brown hue.
Elkus enjoyed her egg with avocado in a charred tortilla, but I chose to eat mine with avocado on sourdough instead. Alongside my morning coffee, this was a hearty and satisfying breakfast.
"Enjoy it at 9 a.m. or 9 p.m., in front of the TV or around the dinner table. There's no wrong way to do it," Elkus said. Now that I think about it, a feta egg in a bacon baguette sandwich sounds like a mighty delicious lunch . . .
