Denver Omelet Sandwich - The Spice Kit Recipes (2024)
· by Jenn @ The Spice Kit Recipes · 2 Comments
We LOVE the 50 nifty United States of this awesome country and believe each state is special. Every Monday we feature a sandwich unique to its state as part of our “50 Sandwiches, 50 States, 50 Weeks” series beginning with Alabama and ending with Wyoming.
Most of you probably know the Denver omelet, aka the Western omelet. But before there was the Denver omelet, there was the Western sandwich.
Like I mentioned in the California French Dip post, I like a good story, history, and how and why things came about. Although the origins of the Denver omelet are a bit dicey, the theories of how the tasty dish transpired are no less intriguing. One theory suggests the omelet originated from cowboys working the cattle drives using ingredients they had readily available: eggs, ham, onions, and bell peppers. Placed between two pieces of bread, the meal becomes mobile. It’s unlikely cowboys had access to cheese on the cattle drives so that is believed to have come later. As the dish spread to the east the name was changed from Western to Denver in reference to the largest city in the Rocky Mountain West.
Another theory suggests the sandwich was created by Chinese cooks during early railroad days by sandwiching egg-foo-yung on bread to make it portable for the workmen. People in Utah then renamed the Western sandwich the Denver sandwich because, well, they just thought it sounded better.
The real story: no none knows for sure, but the Denver omelet remains a favorite of many. Our version of the omelet isn’t exactly an omelet but more of a cheesy scramble with added fresh mushroom because they rock! Served between two pieces of buttery, toasted bread and you’ve got yourself an “egg”cellent sandwich perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
8 slices of cheese of choice, divided (I used Pepper Jack)
8 slices of bread of choice plus enough butter to butter both sides of each slice, (I recommend sour dough which wasn't available so I used Italian)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place rack in the middle.
While oven heats, whip eggs and water together in a bowl with high walls and set aside. Then dice ham and veggies.
Butter bread on both sides and arrange on a baking sheet. When the oven's ready, put the bread in and toast 10 minutes or until toasty. I flipped them after 6 minutes. Watch them closely though.
Meanwhile, heat butter on medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add ham and bell peppers and saute about 2 minutes.
Add onions and mushrooms and saute about 5 minutes.
Pour in beaten eggs and move them around with a spatula or wooden spoon so they do not stick to the pan.
After 2 to 3 minutes add 4 slices of cheese and reduce heat to medium/low. Push the eggs to the center of the pan and wait for them to finish cooking so there is no more liquid. At this point avoid moving them around too much as we want to keep them formed together so they aren't too crumbly.
Turn on broiler. Remove 4 slices of the toasty bread from the baking sheet and set aside leaving 4 slices on the sheet.
Spoon ¼ of the eggs on each of the 4 slices of bread and top with a slice of cheese. Place in the oven and broil 1 minute or until cheese melts. Do not walk away from the oven. Stay put so you do not ruin this!
When the cheese is melted, top with with reserved slices of bread and you are ready to eat!
More from The Spice Kit Recipes
Arizona Navajo Taco (Indian Taco)
Alabama Pulled Chicken Sandwich with White BBQ Sauce
Alaska Crab, Bacon and Brie Wrap with Dill Mayo
Cheesy Breakfast Potato Pancakes
Mozzarella, Feta, Tomato, and Cilantro Grilled Pita Sandwiches
The Denver omelet — a diner classic of eggs, bell peppers, onions, ham and often cheese — actually began as a sandwich made with those ingredients in the American West in the late 19th century.
Basically, a Denver is a Western, with one difference: the Western is cooked on both sides, as in an omelet, while the Denver, with the exact same ingredients as a Western, is when the eggs are scrambled on the hot grill.
Plain or French Omelet - made with just eggs, salt, and pepper, and is usually folded over itself. Cheese Omelet - made with grated cheese as a filling. Western or Denver Omelet - made with diced ham, onions, peppers, and cheese. Spanish Omelet - made with potatoes, onions, and bell peppers.
A Denver sandwich, also known as a Western sandwich, consists of a Denver omelette (consisting of at least ham, onion, green pepper, and scrambled eggs), sandwiched between two pieces of bread.
Some classic omelet fillings include shredded cheddar or Gruyere cheese, sour cream, diced ham, crisp bacon, sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers or tomatoes, caramelized onions, fresh herbs or even leftovers from last night's dinner. For a sweet omelet, omit pepper and add a dash of sugar to egg mixture.
Our namesake omelet is made with 3 cage-free eggs, hand-cracked and cooked-to-order, with hand-chopped green bell pepper, diced onion, diced smokehouse-cured ham, crispy hash browns, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Written by Maxime Published on May 1, 2021 in Breakfast, French, Mains. We are back with a French classic that most of you already know and may guessed by the picture: the French 'omelette'. This runny version is one of Maxime's favorite quick dishes that remind him of his childhood.
Many people add either milk or cream to their omelettes in order to bulk them out and have a more substantial dish without the need to add an extra egg. While this does work, it's crucial not to go overboard or you'll end up with a mixture that's too loose.
You have probably seen videos of chopsticks, skillfully manipulating eggs in a skillet, to create a beautiful omelette that simply slides out, onto a mound of rice and voila… your omelette is served.
The essence of the Denver Omelet is simple: eggs, cheese, diced ham, mushrooms, onions and green pepper. It's a basic omelet, but it has some colorful origin stories. The traditional tale goes like this: a pioneer women masked the taste of rotten eggs with chopped ham, green peppers and onions.
Eggs cook very quickly, so if you add raw onions to the egg mixture, your onions will be crunchy when the omelette is done. If you like your onions soft, cook them first with a pat of butter or olive oil, over low heat. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, or until brown and caramelized, however you like them.
The differences between these two dishes extend beyond just the fillings. The Denver omelette is typically folded in half, while the California omelette might be presented open-faced, showcasing the vibrant array of ingredients within.
There has been great speculation as to the real origin of the Denver Omelette. A plaque on California Street in downtown Denver states that the Denver Omelette came into existence due to the desperate attempts of pioneers who were trying to mask the taste of rotten eggs by adding ham, green pepper, and onion.
An omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan. It is a common practice for an omelette to include fillings such as chives, vegetables, mushrooms, meat (often ham or bacon), cheese, onions or some combination of the above.
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