Poached Eggs with Bacon-Roasted Butternut Squash

Now that I’ve given you dinner & dessert, let’s round out Valentine’s Day Weekend with a romantical breakfast in bed.

I’ve never been served breakfast in bed. I KNOW. I have been missing out for years on one of relationship’s greatest perks. So I can’t exactly tell you what getting breakfast in bed feels like. But I can tell you how I imagine it to be: it’s like having all of your dreams come true + a warm, cuddly blanket + world peace.

Am I right? Or is it more like: Ughh… crumbs in my warm, cuddly blanket + no good place to set my OJ so I have to hold it the whole time… ?

If that’s what it’s like, don’t tell me! One day I would like to have the pleasure (or disappointment) of finding out for myself.

And just to clarify this whole breakfast in bed thing, it does not have to be fancy poached eggs. It could be a bowl of bran flakes and a cup of tea — not kidding, that’s my favorite breakfast — because it’s really the thought that counts. 

But if you do think of making Bacon-Roasted Butternut Squash and then garnishing said squash with runny poached eggs, those thoughts do count much more than the bran flakes thoughts.

This recipe will take you a solid hour, so let your honey sleep in while you don the apron. Or vice-versa. (Although, you could also make the squash and bacon the day before.)

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Poached Eggs with Bacon-Roasted Butternut Squash

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 2

Author my Bottomless Boyfriend

Ingredients

• 4 slices center-cut bacon
• 2 cups butternut squash diced small
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
• 4 large eggs
• dash white vinegar
• 4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano optional, freshly grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and lay bacon strips flat. Bake until done, but do not bake until crisp, about 12-15 minutes. You will finish cooking the bacon later. Rotate the baking sheet after 6 minutes for even cooking.
2. Remove par-cooked bacon from the pan and lay on paper towels to cool. Toss butternut squash, cinnamon, and thyme in the pan with the bacon drippings. Arrange squash in a single layer and return to the oven. Cook until tender and slighty browned, about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally for even cooking. About 5 minutes before the squash is done, you will want to add the strips of bacon back to the pan to warm and crisp them. You have the option of placing the whole strips on the pan or dicing the bacon and tossing with the squash.
3. Meanwhile, heat water in a large saucepan for poaching the eggs. Once the water is steadily simmering, add a dash of white vinegar. Create a gentle whirlpool in the water to help the egg white wrap around the yolk. Crack the eggs and gently tip them into the water one by one. Let cook about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
4. Divide butternut squash and bacon between two plates and top each with two poached eggs. If desired, sprinkle with freshly grated cheese.