Chef notes
A Denver omelet is good, but this is better because it's a sandwich. And instead of tired old ham, this sandwich uses premium maple-cured black pepper bacon and gooey, earthy Gruyère cheese.
Technique tips: Toasting the roll and sautéing the bell pepper in the rendered bacon fat is a great way to incorporate more bacon flavor into your sandwich. For a hassle-free way to melt the cheese, simply add it to the eggs after you've finished cooking them and turned off the stove, then put a lid on the pan. The residual heat will melt the cheese.
Swap options: For a gluten-free version, simply hollow out a bell pepper, spread the inside with aioli, fill with the soft scrambled eggs, and top with cheese and bacon. Any kind of fat works for soft scrambled eggs, from coconut oil to compound butter. Also, this recipe is equally delicious with egg whites taking the place of whole eggs.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pinch pure cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Sea salt, to taste
- 3 slices maple-cured black pepper bacon
- 1 panini roll
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons green bell peppers, diced
- Soft scrambled eggs (recipe above)
- 1/4 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons caramelized onion aioli (recipe above)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch sea salt
Preparation
For the caramelized onion aioli:
In a nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet, combine the onion and sugar and cook over medium-low heat until well caramelized, 25-30 minutes, stirring often. If you notice any burning, just deglaze with a tablespoon of water and stir (this will also speed up the caramelization process). Cool the onion in the fridge.
In a blender, combine the cooled onion, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice and mayo and puree. The aioli will last in the fridge for up to 10 days.
For the soft scrambled eggs:
Bring about 2 cups of water to a simmer in a small saucepan, then set a medium stainless steel bowl over the pan to function as a double boiler. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the bowl. When the butter is fully melted, add the eggs and stir. Keep stirring. You should start developing some small curds of cooked eggs. Keep stirring. The eggs should appear to be able to stand on their own but still be very soft.
Remove the bowl from the heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and stir gently until the butter is completely melted. Season to taste with sea salt.
For the sandwich:
In a nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Split and toast the roll in the same pan. Set the bacon and roll aside.
Add a little vegetable oil to the pan, add the peppers and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the eggs and top with the Gruyère and the reserved bacon. Remove from the heat and cover the pan. This will melt the cheese perfectly and warm the eggs and bacon as well.
Spread both sides of the roll with aioli and use a spatula to place the eggs on the roll. Finish with ground pepper to taste and a bit of sea salt, add the top roll, and serve.
