Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 8 slices bacon (not thick-cut), cut into small pieces
- 1 cup [140 g] chopped sweet onion
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb [455 g] collard greens, stems trimmed off, and leaves cut into thin ribbons (or use any combination of Swiss chard, kale, dandelion, or mustard greens)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 4 cups [960 ml] chicken stock
- ¼ cup [60 ml] apple cider vinegar
- 6 large eggs
- Shaved Parmesan cheese for serving
How to Make It
- Add 1 Tbsp of the oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon in the pot until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain and set aside. Drain off all but 1 Tbsp of the drippings in the pot.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil, the onion, and the red pepper flakes to the pot, and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring frequently. Add the greens and the salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the greens have softened and wilted quite a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, vinegar, ½ cup [120 ml] of water, and the reserved bacon. Stir, cover the pot, and turn the heat to low. Simmer the greens gently for 45 minutes, leaving the lid askew for the last 20 minutes. The greens will be very tender and almost silken when they’re ready to eat.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C].
- While the greens are cooking, butter six individual gratin dishes, or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, and place them on baking sheets. Divide the greens between the gratin dishes, making sure each has some of the pot likker (cooking liquid), as well. Crack an egg into each dish, pushing the greens aside a bit and creating a small hole for each egg to slip into. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the egg whites are totally cooked and the yolks are just set. (Alternatively, you can crack the eggs directly into the pot with the greens, making little wells for them to sit in, and cook them, covered, on the stove top, for about 12 minutes.) Serve right away with a sprinkling of shaved Parmesan.