Baked Eggs & Grits

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 400°F. Fill a medium pot with 4 cups of water; add a big pinch of salt. Cover and heat to boiling on high. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and hollow green tops. Grate the gouda on the large side of a box grater. Halve and pit the avocado. Using a spoon, remove the avocado from the skin, then thinly slice.

Add the pancetta in an even layer to a 9-inch by 13-inch ceramic or metal baking dish. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until slightly crispy and cooked through. Leaving the oven on, remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, add the polenta to the pot of boiling water; whisk to thoroughly combine. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming, 3 to 5 minutes, or until the polenta is thickened. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parmesan, sliced white bottoms of the scallions, and half the grated gouda until melted and combined. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired.

Add the grits to the baking dish of baked pancetta (carefully, as the oil make splatter); gently stir to combine and spread into an even layer. Using the back of a spoon, create 4 shallow wells in the grits for the eggs. Carefully crack an egg into each well; season with salt and pepper. Evenly top with the remaining grated gouda. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Remove from the oven and let stand at least 2 minutes. Serve the baked eggs and grits topped with the sliced avocado, crispy onions, sliced green tops of the scallions, and as much of the hot sauce as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Enjoy!