When that red meat craving hits… but in the middle of the day… so you #putaneggonit to make a burger feel more socially acceptable in the middle of the work-from-home day. That’s how I ended up making this for a tasty lunch under quarantine!

The fun part of this brunch burger is that the egg is fried in a bell pepper ring, but still runny. So all that gooey yolk is contained in the burger when you take a bite.

Not that I’m against a flowing river of yolk, but… this makes the egg easier to enjoy!

Ingredients:

• One uncooked, pre-made hamburger patty, or a few ounces of ground beef to shape into a burger patty (if you’re shaping your own, follow these instructions)
• One hamburger bun (or two pieces of bread, whatever carbs you have)
• One large piece of romaine lettuce (or other greens you love on burgers)
• One large bell pepper (red or green, you choose!)
• 1 egg
• A few pieces of crumbled blue cheese (can be substituted with your other favorite cheeseburger cheese)
• Ketchup, mayo, mustard, or your other favorite condiments
• Salt and pepper for seasoning the burger

Estim. Prep & Cooking Time: about 25-30 mins

Instructions:

• Heat a little bit of oil in a medium-to-large pan (this is what I did because I don’t have access to a grill right now – if you prefer to grill, do that!)
• Season your burger patty with salt and pepper, then begin to cook in the pan. Cover with a lid.
• While the burger begins to cook, prepare your other ingredients: set up the burger bun on a plate, and dress it with your condiments. Grab the large romaine leaf or other greens to have ready (I put mine under the patty for this recipe).
• Use a knife to chop off the top of the bell pepper, then chop a horizontal ring from the remaining pepper. Use the knife to remove any inner pieces remaining in the ring of pepper. Save the rest of the pepper for other use.
• At this point, check on your burger, and flip it.
• Place the bell pepper ring in the pan with the burger, then crack the egg into the ring. Cover the pan again.
• Allow the egg and burger to cook for about 5 minutes, until the top of the egg white turns white, but the egg still jiggles when you move the pan a little – meaning the yolk is still runny inside. Use a spatula to remove the egg/bell pepper and set aside.
• Flip the burger and cook for a few minutes, repeating until almost cooked to your liking.
• Place some cheese on top of the patty for its last minute-ish of cooking. I used blue cheese crumbles because that’s all I had at the time, and it tasted great. But any cheese you prefer for your burgers is fine.
• Once the cheese melts, remove burger from heat and place on the bun. Top with lettuce, then your egg-in-a-hole bell pepper ring. Add any additional condiments you’d like (I just had ketchup and mayo smeared inside the top of my bun).
• Perch the top of your burger bun top of your beautiful burger, serve with a delicious side like chips (or a glass of red wine), and enjoy!
• Don’t forget to take pictures of your meal and tag me on Instagram so I can see it!