For some reason, the "eggy in a basket" never quite caught on at diners, whose egg-oriented line cooks would probably serve them up perfectly. In fact, the only place I can think of that has any kind of variation of this on their menu is the fabulous Eggs Rothko at Egg in Williamsburg. But for those of us that don't have the time to wait forever on line, or the stomach for Grafton cheddar, I give you the easier, most delicious way to enjoy an egg on toast: by making the egg right into the toast. This is a cheap, easy way to start your day of job hunting.

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Only three ingredients go into the traditional Eggy in a Basket, and we're gonna keep it that way.

1. Choose Your Bread

Sweeter twelve-grains actually hold up nicely in this dish, but I'm a purist. I'll always pick Trader Joe's Canadian White Bread for this recipe. It's a sturdy, flavorful bread that holds up to cooking and lets everything else come front and center. In a recipe where the egg is the star, it's a particularly generous move.

2. Choose Your Lard

Those of you who have read my article on grilled cheese know that I hate waiting for butter to soften, so I always keep a little tub of Country Crock Butter Spread in my fridge. It's easy to use, it tastes its best when combined with either eggs or dairy, and it browns perfectly.

3. Choose Your Egg

It can be any egg. We're not picky. But smaller usually works better for this.

Butter your bread on both sides. Using a shot glass as a sort of cookie-cutter, make a hole in the center of the bread, reserving the piece you cut out for sopping up the stuff.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat for about forty-five seconds. Add the toast and the toast-hole. If they started to sizzle on contact, you know the pan is hot enough. If not, wait another twenty seconds. Once the pan is hot enough, crack your egg into the center of the bread.

Here comes the tricky part: wait until you can see that the white under the egg has cooked thoroughly, then using a spatula, gentle flip the toast over. If you did it perfectly, the yolk will not have broken. If you didn't do it perfectly, better luck next time.

After about twenty seconds, remove from the pan. Eat immediately.

Enjoy!