Though I know this is hotly contested, I truly believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not only does it give you the energy you need, it's also an act of self care, a favor you do for yourself, and, if nothing else, the reason to get out of bed in the morning. Nothing can accomplish all these goals and more better than a breakfast sandwich.
Though some would argue their favorite corner store makes a better egg sandwich than any of us could ever hope to, there's something to be said for going the homemade route. You can cook the egg exactly how you like it, top it with all sorts of crazy hot sauces and get fancy with the accoutrements. Our two contenders on this week's Snackdown do just that: They make the breakfast sandwich their own.
GWYNETH'S RECIPE
Being the wholesome-yoga-wellness-guru she is, I was SHOCKED to find bacon on Gwyneth's [open-face] breakfast sandwich. The shock didn't end there, though. Not only is there bacon—there's CHEESE! Not just any cheese: gruyère. The surprises don't stop there either! Gwyneth advises placing mounds of said cheese onto a nonstick pan and topping with an egg. Yes, you heard that right: This recipe requires that you fry your eggs ON TOP OF CHEESE. Gwyneth! You are just full of surprises, and we love it! The cheesy eggs and bacon meet on top of a thick slab of toast, slathered with a quick aioli made with lemon and garlic. Finished with a handful of arugula, (GOOP, we see you) this sandwich is full of all the best flavors. We would happily get out of bed for this one.
CHRISSY'S RECIPE
If Gwyneth's sandwich is the type you'd see at a fancy café in Brooklyn, Chrissy's sandwich is the kind you might order from the drive-thru at McDonald's. Bearing striking resemblance to a McMuffin, this sandwich is much more complex than it looks. Specifically, it's got a killer homemade breakfast sausage patty that our taste testers went nuts for. The spicy-sweet combination of brown sugar and red pepper flakes serve as a genius wake-up call for the taste buds, and she brings it back to the familiar with a couple slices of American cheese and a fried egg. (Don't forget the Sriracha!) Basically, it's like a spicy, high quality McMuffin. We are obviously very here for it.
THE VERDICT
This was a tricky one. On one hand, we have Gwyneth's breakfast sandwich: full of bright flavors, sophisticated ingredients, and a genius cheesy egg we plan on making over and over again. On the other hand, we have Chrissy's breakfast sandwich: in-your-face flavors, familiar ingredients, and a homemade sausage patty to end all others. Though both were great, our tasters went with Chrissy. Her flavorful sandwich is exactly what we crave when we get up in the morning. Congrats, Chrissy!
