Crispy Fried Eggs with Yogurt, Greens, and Smoked Herb Butter

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

My meal mantra as of late, due to fatigue from almost a year of nonstop cooking, has been simple: Put an egg on it. This is hardly a new notion, but it’s provided me with great comfort throughout these unsettled months where I find myself staring into the fridge at a total loss of what to cook.

Ingredients

2 small bunches flat-leaf (lacinato) kale (about 1 pound total)
1 small lemon
2 cloves garlic, divided
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 8 large eggs
Pita or flatbread, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Use your hands to pull the leaves from the stems of 2 small bunches flat-leaf (lacinato) kale. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces and place in a colander. Rinse them, but do not dry.
Use a Microplane to finely grate the zest of 1 small lemon and 1 garlic clove into a small bowl. Add 1 cup Greek yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and stir to combine. Divide the yogurt among 4 shallow bowls and spread it out in a large, even circle with the back of a spoon. Halve the lemon and set aside.
Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in 8 fresh sage leaves, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sage leaves begin to curl at the edges and crisp, and the mixture is very fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture, with the sage leaves, into a small bowl.
Return the skillet to medium heat (no need to wipe out). Add the kale a few handfuls at a time, stirring after each addition so that it starts to wilt, until all of the kale is added. Finely grate the remaining garlic clove into the skillet, add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is just tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat, squeeze in the juice from both lemon halves, and stir to combine. Divide the kale among the 4 bowls, piling it on top of the yogurt but keeping the edges of the yogurt exposed.
Return the skillet to the stove (no need to wipe out). Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil into the skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Crack 4 large eggs into the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and let cook undisturbed until the whites are crispy and golden-brown on the edges and set, and the yolks are runny, 2 to 4 minutes. If cooking 2 eggs per person, transfer the cooked eggs to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 4 eggs.
Place 1 or 2 fried eggs on top of the kale in each bowl. Drizzle with the smoked sage butter and serve immediately with pita or flatbread, if desired.