Eggs Florentine with Smoked Paprika Hollandaise

There are two reasons I've traditionally avoided eggs benedict: 1) I'm vegetarian, and they usually incorporate some sort of meat product, and 2) the sickly pale yellow-ness of hollandaise sauce just never really turned me on. But world, rejoice! With this recipe I've solved both of those problems.

First, you will need to assemble your ingredients (this recipe serves 1):

1 english muffin (I used wheat)
5 cups fresh spinach
2 tblsp vegetable oil
4 cups water
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup butter, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
fresh lemon juice

Now let's get cooking! First, we'll need to poach the eggs:

Bring the 4 cups water and 1/4 cup vinegar to a boil. Crack each egg individually into a bowl, then slide carefully, one at a time, into the boiling water. The vinegar is a crucial ingredient here, and is what keeps your egg together in one nice piece! Boil for 3 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towl, and keep water boiling while we make the hollandaise and cook the spinach:

Put your egg yolk in a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over (but not touching) some simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn't get too hot, or your yolk will cook! Whisk the yolk rapidly for 1 minute or so, until it gets fluffier and lighter in color. Add the butter pieces and continue whisking as they melt. Remove from heat and add smoked paprika and lemon juice to taste. That's it! To cook the spinach, first heat 2 tblsp vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add the spinach and sautee until the leaves are wilted.

Now we can assemble things!

This is easy. Toast the english muffin and top with the sauteed spinach. If your poached eggs are cold, slide them back into the boiling water for 30 sec to heat through. Put the eggs on top of the spinach.

Now spoon the hollandaise sauce over the tops of the eggs. Add cracked black pepper and salt to taste.

Just one more step.....

Enjoy!