Poached Eggs Over Latkes with Kefir Creamed Kale

I can cook a lot of things, but for whatever reason, I just can not poach a proper egg. My husband asked if I could do it one day, and my answer was: "Nope, I can't do it. Not gonna happen, I just SUCK at poaching eggs. I need that special contraption like my mom has, from 1965." He could hardly believe me, like, how the heck can't I of all people, cook a stupid little egg. Why on earth is it so freakin' hard to poach an egg?  I know I'm not alone.

A conversation about this struggle with fellow moms - over delicious, perfect, poached eggs at Buckram Stables - left me wanting to try my hand at it again. So, I tested the method of adding a splash of vinegar to the water. I'm not real sure it helps much, but certainly didn't hurt. I also tried deeper water, but ended up fishing in a sea of loose whites for the lost little eggy stuck on the bottom. It's like baking for me - I can do OK, but not great. I didn't throw out any eggs, but I couldn't make them look pretty, or perfectly runny either.

On this egg-poaching morning, I actually concocted a pretty yummy recipe with random ingredients I had on hand. I wanted to make something like my favorite brunch dish, eggs florentine, but had no spinach. So I used some frozen kale. I discovered my heavy cream had soured, so I used the Kefir I've been drinking to cream it up, along with some shredded parmesan I've always got around. I puréed it to make it less chewy and fibrous, without having to cook it forever. I think our bread might have been moldy too, so I baked some Trader Joe's latkes from the freezer, which my 2 year old loves to eat.

There you have it: impromptu eggs florentine with a twist. A healthy, hearty little brunch at home. Also a great way to use up leftover latkes, if you've got those around. By the way, I suck at making those too, but I bet there's a way I figure that one out eventually!

So, how do YOU poach an egg?

Poached Eggs Over Latkes with Kefir Creamed Kale

poached eggs

cooked potato latkes
butter
frozen kale
plain kefir (cultured milk)
grated parmagiano cheese
salt
pepper

Heat the latkes and prepare the creamed kale. In a skillet or saucepan over medium heat, melt butter (about 2 T butter to 1 C kale). Add kale and cook until heated through. Lower heat and add kefir (about 2 T to 1 C kale), cheese to taste, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes or so, until some of the liquid evaporates. Puree or pulse to break up the stems, make it as smooth as you like. 

Poach eggs and serve over latkes and kale sauce.