Bobby Flay's Favorite Late-Night Dinner Is Also A Breakfast Bodega Classic
There's no craving quite like a late-night craving. Whether you're trudging home after a party or up late on a binge-watch of your favorite TV show, the first bite of a delicious and filling late-night snack simply hits the spot. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is certainly not above a late-night dinner craving. "If it's really late night and I've had a cocktail or two, I've been out all night and I'm still hungry, I'll make a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. The classic New York sandwich," Flay told Allrecipes.
The bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich is almost synonymous with the New York City experience. Many New Yorkers know the experience of popping down to their local bodega for a bacon, egg, and cheese, whether rushing to the subway for work or recovering from a night out. The greasy, savory sandwich is not unique to New York City, but between its citywide accessibility and popularity, New Yorkers have become attached to the BEC, claiming it as their own. But what is it about this humble, everyman kind of sandwich that attracts a celebrity chef like Bobby Flay?
Why a bacon, egg, and cheese is a perfect late-night dinner
The bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich has its origins in the Industrial Revolution, first gaining traction as a convenient way to feed hungry workers on their way to long, grueling days in the factory. And a BEC comes in handy for a late-night meal for similar reasons. The sandwich perfectly balances crispy bacon with a cheesy fried egg, nestled between a toasted bagel, roll, or bun. In an Instagram video with Misfits Market demonstrating his perfect homemade bacon, egg, and cheese, Flay mentions how he grew up eating a BEC from his local deli.
Based on his remarks, Flay seems to have a nostalgic attachment to the BEC, clearly understanding the sandwich's significance as the ideal breakfast to take on the go. He's even created an Italian take on the BEC with prosciutto and focaccia. But if you need to replenish your energy after a long day, or get ahead of an impending hangover, the gooey goodness of a classic BEC is the go-to. Consider how many American diners and corner bodegas are open 24 hours a day, or at least late into the night — they know that hunger calls at all hours, and a hearty breakfast meal can have the perfect amount of grease to soak up that hunger.
Making a bacon, egg, and cheese the Bobby Flay way
In the video, Flay shares a few tips and tricks he uses to make this favorite late-night dinner not only easy but delicious. After frying two strips of bacon, Flay fries two eggs in the bacon fat, getting the edges of the eggs extra crispy. He adds a slice of American cheese before dashing the pan with water and covering it. The resulting steam engulfs the pan, melting the cheese and cooking the egg yolks just enough to form a thin film on top. The result is two fried eggs with golden, runny yolks and perfectly cooked whites. He then folds one egg on top of the other, sandwiching the melted cheese between the two eggs.
Flay also likes to give the bun special treatment. He prefers to scoop out some of the bun's insides to create a balance between all the sandwich's ingredients, so you get a little of everything in each bite. Flay slathers both sides of the bun in harissa, a North African tomato condiment with a spicy kick, as an addition to elevate the classic bacon, egg, and cheese. Once he stacks the fried egg and pieces of bacon in the bun, his perfect late-night dinner is complete. So if you want to do like the bodega-lovers and Bobby Flay do, try your hand at a New York City bodega breakfast classic: A bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.