Eggs in Bologna Cups

This recipe from my childhood—maybe the first I ever learned—has become the centerpiece of my family's Christmas Breakfast tradition. It's an easy way to make eggs for a crowd, and kids love them.

Ingredients

• 12 slices of bologna
• 12 large eggs
• 3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
• Salt, Pepper, and Paprika to taste

Instructions

The first step used to be to fry each slice of bologna briefly, causing the center to puff up and form a natural cup. Modern grocery store bologna—even the name brands I've tested—doesn't seem to do that anymore, so I don't usually bother. Unless, of course, I'm looking for an excuse to bring a grandchild into the kitchen to help.

1. Place each slice of bologna into one of the cups of a buttered, cooking sprayed, or nonstick muffin pan. It may take a little finesse to get it to stay, so be careful not to poke a hole through the bottom of the bologna slice.
2. Break an egg into each cup.
3. To each egg, add 1T of heavy cream.
4. Add salt, pepper, and paprika to each.
5. Bake at 350°F/175°C for about 20 minutes or until the egg has set.
6. Using a rubber spatula, remove the bologna cups to a platter and serve.

Serving

Serve warm or at room temperature. They are also surprisingly good leftover cold, straight from the refrigerator. I suspect they would be quite nice, hot or cold, on toast with mayonnaise or mustard, lettuce, tomato, and a slice of cheese.

Yield

12 each.