Turkish Poached Eggs with Garlicky Yogurt and Sizzling Chili Butter

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the poaching water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 4 large eggs, the freshest you have
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper, or 1 tsp sweet paprika plus a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
• Flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to finish
• Warm crusty bread or toasted pita, for serving

Steps

1. 1

   Take the yogurt out of the fridge first. Cold yogurt under hot eggs is a rookie sadness. Stir the grated garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the yogurt and let it sit while you do everything else. The garlic mellows as it waits.

2. 2

   Fill a wide saucepan with about 3 inches of water, add the vinegar and a pinch of salt, and bring it to a bare simmer, with small bubbles clinging to the bottom instead of a rolling boil. A boil will shred your eggs into ribbons.

3. 3

   Crack each egg into a small cup or ramekin. Swirl the water gently with a spoon, then slide the eggs in one at a time. Poach 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft and heavy. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel to drain.

4. 4

   While the eggs poach, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Let it foam, then keep going 1 to 2 minutes until the foam subsides and it smells nutty. You want light brown flecks, not black ones. Pull it off the heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper. It will fizz and bloom into a deep brick red. That is the whole show.

5. 5

   Spread the garlicky yogurt in a wide swoosh across two shallow bowls. Nest two eggs into each. Spoon the sizzling chili butter over everything, including the eggs and yogurt, with no restraint.

6. 6

   Shower with dill, flaky salt, and black pepper. Serve immediately with warm bread. The yogurt-yolk-butter puddle at the bottom of the bowl is the reason the bread exists.