Sunday brunch.

Inspired by our recent trip to North Carolina, Molly fixed up some delicious cheesy grits with roasted tomato, mushroom, and soft-cooked eggs. I made the tomato soup side, crowned with a healthy dollop of sour cream. Having a friend over is always a good thing for us in one ways than one, since it forces us to have an overdue reckoning with the apartment clutter. In this case, long overdue!


Grits with Roasted Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Soft-Boiled Egg

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Stone-ground grits

4 cups water

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter

Cheese, about 1 cup shredded (to taste)

1 pint grape, cherry, or campari tomatoes (something small enough to roast whole)

1/2 lb Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

1 onion (red or yellow)

4 eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take your eggs out of the refrigerator to allow them to come to room temperature. 

Bring the four cups of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Sprinkle in the grits while stirring so that lumps don't form. (Note: cooking directions may vary slightly from brand to brand for grits. I just follow the directions on the package (we gotthis brand as a gift from my brother for Christmas), and try to make enough for two people plus a little extra. Anything that's not eaten can be made into pan-fried grit cakes the next day, but that's not usually a problem in our house!

While the grits are cooking, wash, trim, and slice the mushrooms about 1/4 inch thick. In a mixing bowl, toss them with olive oil to coat, and salt and pepper. Arrange them on one side of a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil (to make clean-up easier). Leave the tomatoes whole but give them the same olive oil/salt/pepper treatment. Cut the onion in half and then slice into thin half-moon cuts. Toss with olive oil and arrange next to tomatoes and mushrooms.

Roast the vegetables for about 20 minutes, until they are cooked through and browned. The tomatoes should just about implode on themselves and be letting off their juice. The onions may be done cooking before the other vegetables; if they look like they're about to burn, take them off the baking sheet and set aside on a plate. 

In a small saucepan, bring enough water to cover your eggs to a boil. Once it's at a rolling boil, lower the eggs in one by one with a slotted spoon. Cook for five minutes, then set aside in a bowl of cold water.

Once the grits are cooked through, stir in the butter and cheese. I like to use a blend of sharp white cheddar and parmesan, but use what you like and have on hand.

Ladle a healthy serving of grits (about two ladle fulls is a generous portion, I find) onto the center of a plate. Arrange the roasted vegetables on top, then peel two eggs and slice them in half and add them to the pile.

Garnish with a little bit of left-over shredded cheese (if your wife hasn't eaten it already) and a few twists of freshly ground pepper.

Enjoy!