Onions with Oven Baked Eggs

I’m taking a quick break from finals to post this so I don’t have a lot of time to rave about how much I love the simplicity of eggs and onions.  There are few smells in the kitchen that are more appealing than onions cooking in butter.  If you want to have a successful dinner party, cook something with onions and your whole house will smell delicious.  If your eyes can’t handle the crying, might I suggest these fashionable accessories?  They make great Christmas gifts! 

You can add almost anything to this sauté and achieve delicious results (my favorites include bacon, mushrooms, spinach, red peppers, scallions, and bacon).  But this recipe illustrates how easy it is to whip up a delicious breakfast (or dinner!) with ingredients you are likely to have on hand.  This is especially handy if you are spending 12+ hours in the library each day and have no time to visit the grocery store at normal intervals. 

If you like your yolks runny then watch this like a hawk in the oven!  They cook deceptively fast on the inside while maintaining the guise of being glossy and uncooked.  While we are on the subject, if for some reason you don’t like runny yolks, we probably can’t be friends anymore.  I am working on a future post where I plan to exalt the luxurious perfection that is a runny egg yolk, but I don’t want to give too much away yet. 
Back to studying!  Enjoy!

ONIONS WITH OVEN BAKED EGGS 
serves 2
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups yellow onions, sliced
4 eggs
Salt and pepper
Chives (optional)
Toast

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large oven-proof skillet over high heat.  Add the onions and sprinkle with a bit of salt to get them to release their liquids.  Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.  You want to brown the onions to give them flavor while avoiding burning them.  Once they are nicely browned, reduce heat to medium and sauté for another 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through and slightly sweet.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Clear four little spots in the pan for the eggs and put a small pat of butter in where each egg will go.  Deposit the eggs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and put in the oven.  Cook for anywhere from 3 minutes to 10 minutes depending on how you like your eggs.  Check frequently to avoid over-cooking. 

Garnish with chives and serve with crusty bread or toast.  And sriracha.