I won’t lie.  Perhaps this homemade breakfast was inspired by a fabulous and delicious egg experience last week at Beths’ Cafe.  Whatever it was, I was craving eggs, salmon, and potatoes once again.  True, I could’ve gone for the imitation of Beth’s Northwest Omelette (salmon, cream cheese and green onions), but I decided to go a different route.  So I poached, toasted, sauteed, sliced, and stacked.  And of course, most importantly, ate and enjoyed!

Anna’s Potatoes
Ingredients (for 2)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 small Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped

1/4 cup scallions, sliced
salt & pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste

Directions
1.  Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Add potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, tossing frequently.
2.  Add pepper and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes or until potatoes and vegetables are tender.
3.  Sprinkle in scallions and season with salt and pepper.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

Next, poached eggs!  Soft, runny, bright egg yolk, gently encased in a cloud of egg white – this is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the egg!

Poached Egg on a Toasted Sourdough English Muffin with Avocado and Smoked Salmon

Ingredients
1 teaspoon white vinegar
4 Eggs
2 sourdough English muffins, sliced and toasted
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
4 slices of smoked salmon
black pepper
Directions
1.  Bring a pot of water to a simmer.  Add vinegar (the vinegar keeps the egg whites together, or at least that’s the idea).
2.  Gently break eggs (one at a time) into a small bowl and very, very gently lower the eggs into the water.  You can use a spoon to control the egg white and return it to its original location (around the egg yolk).
3.  While the eggs are poaching, toast the muffins and layer with avocado and salmon.  Season with black pepper.
4.  Do not overcook the eggs (if you do, you might as well have boiled the eggs and saved yourself the trouble of poaching).  Remove the eggs from the water bath and gently pat dry on paper towel. Place on top of the English muffin stack.
5.  Serve immediately!  Do not wait.  Use your fork to split the egg yolk and see it ooze all over the salmon and the potatoes.  Magical.
Ok, Mimosa would’ve been nice.  But I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day sleepy.  Enjoyed a non-alcoholic mimosa (half Orange Juice and half Marinelli’s apple cider) along with a cup of coffee.