Ham & Egg Toasty Breakfast Muffins

For detailed origins of the McMuffin, you can visit the topic at Wikipedia.  For details of an open-faced rendition that's just as tasty, you can visit the recipe below!  We didn't serve hash browns alongside given the heft of these breakfast sandwiches, but they certainly would have been delicious and well-received.  In a slight departure from the other open-faced recipes of the month, here's one where we suggest sticking to the toppings as described simply because they turned out just right.  Cooking the components as described was enough work for a (groggy) team of three in about an hour.  If you have more hands, you can knock out that side of hash browns no problem.


HAM & EGG TOASTY BREAKFAST MUFFINS
Makes 80 open-faced sandwiches for approximately 40 servings


40 English Muffins each split in half horizontally (we used whole wheat with good results)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil for brushing
80 round slices of Canadian bacon
72 eggs (18-count cage-free organic brown eggs are available at Costco for a great price)
80 sandwich-sized slices of good-quality real cheddar cheese (also available in the Costco cheese cases)
3 lbs vine-ripe tomatoes,  thinly sliced
3 bunches scallions, washed, trimmed and sliced into very thin rounds
sea salt and freshly ground pepper



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Preheat grill top to med-high heat. 


Crack half the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk until whites and yolks have been scrambled.  Crack the remaining eggs into a separate bowl and whisk again.  Divide the scallions between the two bowls and season each batch with salt and pepper.  Using a basting brush and olive oil, lightly oil the entire surface of two XL sheets pans.  If you're not using commercial-sized pans, you may have to divide the eggs into thirds.   Carefully pour out the egg mixture onto the sheet pans.  Using two people and extreme care, transfer the egg pans to the hot oven.  Bake the eggs until just firm, being careful not to overcook.  Allow eggs to cool slightly and slice into squares.  You should have one square for each sandwich (or 80 squares).


While eggs are cooking, lightly oil the preheated grill top.  Arrange the Canadian bacon slices in a single layer and grill until lightly browned on both sides.   Set aside.


Slice the tomatoes and set aside.  You should have one generous slice or two smaller slices per sandwich.

Arrange English muffin halves, cut side up, on several sheet pans.  Lightly brush the top sides of the muffins with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Top each muffin with an eqq square, a slice of Canadian bacon, sliced tomato and cheese, always finishing with the cheese on top.  Return sandwiches to the oven and bake until cheese has melted and sandwiches have become lightly toasted.  Keep warm until ready to serve or serve immediately. 




Fresh Fruit and Juice
Serve 4lbs of fresh halved strawberries on the side along with (6) half-gallons of orange juice.