I’ve had this conversation many times. It goes something like this:
“It’s a piece of bread with a hole cut in it. You put it in the pan and then crack the egg into the hole—”
“Oh, you mean birds in a nest?”
Almost every time I have it, I find out a new name for this dish. To date I have heard it called egg in the hole, eggs in a basket, birds in a nest, joeys, bullseyes, popeye eggs, hole in one, knothole egg, and eggs in jail. Some people call it toad in the hole, which is also the name of an English dish involving sausage baked in Yorkshire pudding batter. How this confusion came about I don’t know.
Those are just the names I’ve come upon in my own personal experience. A Google search also turns up names like one-eyed jack, one-eyed monster, moon egg, gashouse egg, paddy egg, castle’d egg, egg on a raft, man on a raft, egg in the middle, egg in a frame, picture frame egg, bird’s nest, egg in a blanket, egg in a hat, breakfast bread, one-eyed Egyptians, ace in the hole, frog in the pond, scout eggs, egg in a window, and—my personal favorite—gibbly’s willies. Who is gibbly? What are his willies? The answer that springs to mind is probably much less savory than you want in a breakfast dish, but if your appetite isn’t ruined by the thought of what gibbly’s willies might be, try them for yourself.
Gibbly’s Willies
2 pieces bread
2 eggs
butter
salt and pepper
1. Cut a hole in the middle of each slice of bread. Use a cookie cutter, the mouth of a glass, or just wing it. Butter the bread on both sides.
2. Place the bread slices in a cast-iron skillet on medium heat and cook until the bottom side is lightly browned.
3. Flip the bread and crack an egg into each hole. Cook for a few minutes until the yolk is how you like it, then carefully flip each slice and cook for a few more seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve quick.