Savory French Toast with Avocado and Egg

An easy meatless meal, a savory breakfast for dinner, a new twist on Fat Tuesday. No matter what occasion you prefer, this savory French toast with avocado and egg will be delicious.

My octogenarian parents tell me that Toast is a Thing. I really don't get the concept of high end artisanal toast [I mean decorating a cupcake takes skill, but making a piece of toast?] but I do like a nice piece of toast. I've never gone out for fancy toast like my trendy folks have, but I think I can say with certainty that

this is not high end artisanal toast.

This is my answer to Pancake Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday, or an easy meatless Monday meal, or a twist on Breakfast for dinner. Instead of using the milk & eggs to make pancakes [and whatever else it is we're supposed to make when everyone runs to the store at the threat of snow--have you considered a Finnish Oven Pancake?], why not make French toast? Who says French toast has to be sweet? If I'm not using eggnog in the batter (like my Pumpkin Eggnog French Toast recipe) then the components are just as savory as a fried egg sandwich.

A fried egg sandwich is one of the perfect comfort foods, and one of the first meals I fixed both my spouse and my brother upon their respective returns from Iraq. You know someone who needs some TLC? Fix 'em a fried egg sandwich. Or if they are of the canine persuasion, make this.

Using the magic of blog-time I made this last week. On Fat Tuesday, like darn near every Tuesday night of the school year, I'll be shuttling my daughter to sewing and hanging out writing/reading/knitting/playing solitaire on my phone. I will not be making this.
You could, though.

The batter comes from my mother-in-law, the use of day old bread comes from my mom--though she frequently used hoagie rolls to make finger food French toast when my kids were little. The avocado and egg? I thought it would be good on top so I tried it.

Savory French Toast with Avocado and Egg (serves 4)

1 day old loaf French bread (I scan the mark down bakery area and pop a loaf in the freezer whenever I see one)
8 eggs, divided
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
butter for the griddle
2 avocados
freshly ground pepper to taste

Slice bread into 16 1 inch thick slices and set aside--you'll probably have extra bread**. [Feed the ends to any dogs who are loitering in the kitchen.] In a small bowl mix up 4 eggs with milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour into a shallow dish and set aside. Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and swipe it with butter. Dip bread in milk mixture until coated, then fry on griddle until browned on both sides (3-4 minutes the first side, 2-3 the second is my usual experience). Set aside to keep warm.
Slice open and scoop out the avocado flesh--my brother gave me this handy tool (Amazon Affiliate Link) for Christmas and although I don't have the hang of the de-pitting part I love the rest--and mash with a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Preheat a small frying pan over medium heat, or if you have a rockin' griddle, use that. [My griddle is all weird in the center and does a wonderful job of keeping things warm but isn't good for frying eggs so I get 2 pans dirty.] Fry remaining eggs to your desired degree of doneness (over easy for me) and season how you like (salt and pepper for us).
To serve, spread a few pieces of French toast with mashed avocado, then top with an egg. Simple, right? And so delicious.
I still want to say 'stop trying to make Toast a Thing', but I could handle this being a Thing.

**If you want to make extra French toast use 6 eggs not 4, 1½ cups milk not 1 cup, and 1½ teaspoons salt not 1 teaspoon. It keeps in the fridge or freezer for weekday breakfasts.

This post is linked up with What's Cookin' Wednesday