SERVES 4
For over 40 years, my husband’s family has rented a big house in Gloucester, Massachusetts, every summer. Upwards of 25 parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, and a few dear friends pile in to share a beachside vacation. In effect, this sleepy New England fishing village has become an Abrams family second home and one of my favorite places on earth. One of our family rituals is breakfast, at least one morning during our stay, at Lee’s—a tiny downhome Main Street diner that serves fantastic hearty food. Lee’s is a third-generation family restaurant that is open fisherman’s hours—5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.—daily. They specialize in breakfast, including the most brilliant play on classic eggs and home fries: In lieu of cubed or shredded potatoes, Lee’s packs perfectly scrambled eggs and melted cheddar cheese into crispy, salty scooped-out baked potato skins! Though there’s nothing like experiencing the dish at Lee’s, here is my home version, with unscrambled eggs baked directly in the skins, which serve as brilliant cooking vessels and help cut down on cleanup.
Kosher salt
4 baking potatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing and drizzling
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces), divided
8 large eggs
2 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
½ garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
½ avocado, cubed
1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
Heat oven to 450ºF.
In a large bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in ½ cup lukewarm water. Roll the potatoes in the salt water to moisten, then drain and discard the water. Place the potatoes on a wire rack set into a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh (if you have a grapefruit spoon handy, put it to use here!), leaving a ¼-inch border all around, to create a bowl. Reserve the scooped-out potato flesh for another use (mashed potatoes for dinner!). Brush the potato halves all over with olive oil. Season the flesh generously with salt and pepper. Return the potatoes to the wire rack, flesh-side down, and bake until the skin begins to crisp, about 10 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and turn them flesh-side up. Sprinkle the cavities of the potato skins with about half of the cheese. Carefully crack one egg into a small bowl, then pour into one of the potato skins. Repeat with the remaining eggs and skins. Season each egg with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bake until the egg whites are just set, 12 to 14 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the salsa: Stir together the tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, avocado, jalapeño, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a generous pinch of pepper. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Remove the skins from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, then continue baking until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes more. Arrange the skins on serving plates. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with cilantro and a pinch of black pepper, and spoon the salsa on top.
To prep ahead, the potatoes can be baked up to 3 days in advance. The rest of the dish then comes together in less than 30 minutes.