A classic New Jersey breakfast sandwich made a little lighter by preparing it at home. Made with a toasted English muffin, eggs, cheese and pork roll (NJ’s iconic meat.)
I've come to notice that breakfast is definitely my favorite meal of the day (with dessert coming in a close second). I've even commissioned my bridesmaids to hopefully throw me a fabulous brunch bridal shower! I'm sure I'll have plenty of food photos to share after that 😋 the worst part is that I have to wait until summer for it!
Let's talk about what food our home state (or country, if you're out of the U.S.) is famous for. New Jersey, although small and mostly a lackluster place to live in compared to everywhere else, has its benefits. The Jersey shore (not the trashy tv show, the actual beach…), Jersey tomatoes, corn and blueberries (basically all the delicious produce during summer and fall), proximity to two metropolitan areas (NYC and Philadelphia, and PORK ROLL on a breakfast sandwich. What is your state famous for? Share your favorite recipe with me!!
If you aren’t familiar with this iconic meat, I'd say it's closest to the US style Canadian bacon (so says this Wikipedia article). Apparently it's a very regional phenomenon, and if you aren't from the area then you probably won't know what it's like to have a pork roll, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich.
For this DIY NJ inspired breakfast sandwich, I used toasted English muffins in lieu of the usual kaiser roll (or toasted bagel, my personal fave when I go out to order one of these from a deli). Sure, you could use whatever carb of choice for your breakfast sandwich. We just happened to have English muffins on hand and I enjoy how crispy they get in the toaster.
My eggs of choice are usually fried, but the big guy usually prefers scrambled so either will work here. I’ve even been known to do a runny egg for this breakfast sandwich - talk about #breakfastgoals. If you want to make these sandwiches ahead of time and put a few in the freezer, you could also crack eggs into separate ramekins and bake them until they are no longer runny, like so.
Again, this breakfast sandwich is totally customizable, but we prefer melted yellow American cheese on it, but I have been known to substitute the American cheese with a nice sharp cheddar. Either way, you’re going to have a beautiful and delicious breakfast sandwich.
Last, but certainly not least, our beloved pork roll. The pork roll is best fried up in a frying pan and placed onto the sandwich right before eating. The meat only needs a few minutes on each side to develop some caramelization and then you can transfer it right to the sandwich. One last question before you go ahead and chow down on this savory sandwich - salt, pepper, ketchup? These are the 3 usual toppings/condiments that most places will ask you when ordering out. I’m a “yes, all 3” type of person because ketchup = ❤️
What food does your state do well? Share your favorite suggestions and recipes in the comments!
Easy Breakfast Sandwiches
A classic New Jersey breakfast sandwich made a little lighter by preparing it at home. Made with a toasted English muffin, eggs, cheese and pork roll.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 slice yellow American cheese
- 2 slices pork roll or Canadian bacon
- 1 sliced English muffin, toasted
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Ketchup, optional
Instructions
- Over a medium high flame, preheat a small frying pan. Slice a few notches into the side of your pork roll so the meat does not curl up while cooking. Cook each side until lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes.
- Using the grease from the pork roll, crack an egg into the pan and cook to your desired doneness.
- Top with a slice of cheese and allow cheese to melt.
- While cheese is melting, toast your English muffin.
- Remove English muffin from toaster and assemble breakfast sandwich. I am partial to the pork roll > egg/cheese > toppings method, but any way works.
- Top with other half of toasted English muffin and enjoy!
Notes
Although you can assemble your sandwich any way you choose, this is the way I prefer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 429Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Andi
We call it Taylor Ham in this part of Jersey, but my wife and I get into arguments about the real name all the time! Either way, this was still a quick recipe that can be eaten on the go.