The Scrabble scoundrel feigns respect for the rules. He's not the sort of lowlife who would stoop to sneaking peeks at the idle tiles or peering over the rim of a rack. He strikes a suave pose, shuffling his hand, as though an endless number of words might be wrought from seven random letters.
He lifts a tile and clicks it onto the board, drawing gasps. Not that he has executed a bingo -- arranging all of his letters into, say, "scrummy," Brit for scrumptious. Not that he has intimidated his opponent with "crwth," a vowel-free actual word. He has played a single letter, forming a two-letter word, twice -- and earned a stunning 66 points.
Call it luck, or cunning, or tolerance for slang. You wonder: Is "za" a real word?
Scrabble-weary, you pull seven random ingredients from the fridge -- potatoes, Sriracha, mayo, onion, sausage, cheese and eggs -- and arrange them into pizza. Scrummy slice in hand, you consult the updated Scrabble dictionary -- as well as your high-scoring breakfast za -- and are forced to concede: Yes.
Breakfast Pizza
1 large (about 8-ounce) russet potato, boiled or baked, and chilled
1 teaspoon melted butter
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
3 tablespoons canola or peanut oil, divided use
1/2 cup diced onion
4 ounces bulk breakfast pork sausage
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup shredded Monterey jack
4 eggs
Using the largest holes of a box grater, shred the potato. Toss shreds with melted butter and about ¼ teaspoon salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together Sriracha and mayonnaise.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an 8-inch skillet set over medium-high heat. Slide in onion, crumble in sausage, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until sausage is browned and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Scoop sausage and onions into a bowl; cover loosely with foil to keep warm, leaving any fat in the pan.
Pour 1 tablespoon oil into the skillet. Slide in potatoes, pressing gently to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook, shaking pan now and then, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Flip. Scatter on cheese, leaving a 1/2-inch bare perimeter. Cover skillet and cook until bottom is crisp and cheese has melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Slide cheesy disk onto a cutting board. Spread with Sriracha mix. Cover loosely with foil.
Pour 1 tablespoon oil into skillet. Crack in eggs. Fry to your liking, about 3 minutes, covered, for whites that are set and yolks that aren't.
Invert fried eggs, crisp-side up, onto pizza. Scatter on sausage mix. Slice into 4 wedges, one yolk per slice. Dig in.
Makes 1 (7-inch) pizza.
Food on 01/17/2018