Fried egg with slightly burned vinegar

I do love a fried egg on toast, so when I saw this recipe from my fave Catherine Newman, I knew I’d have to try it.

But, inevitably, because I am a total nit in the kitchen (and, let’s face it, in most other rooms too), I burned the butter/vinegar sauce thingy. I poured it over anyway (I’m not fussy) and then added a splash of balsamic and it was indeed delish.

It also, for some reason, seemed lighter and “healthier” than an ordinary fried egg. Maybe because the balsamic made me think of it as Mediterranean, I don’t know.

Anyway, it also enabled me to yell at Rachel Khoo (on the radio) when someone phoned in and asked what sauce she would recommend with her Croque Madame Muffins for someone who’s not keen on dairy (the recipe features a cheese sauce). Rachel seemed to flail a bit and then plumped for “a red wine sauce” which sounds mad to me. “Butter and vinegar, Rachel!” I bellowed. And felt very smug.