Crispy ham, sweet roasted cherry tomatoes, melty sharp cheddar, mashed & seasoned avocado, sweet & spicy peppadew peppers, tangy pickled red onion, and an oozy fried egg sandwiched on a thin onion bagel and grilled until hot and toasty. Without sounding overly dramatic, this is the most savory, flavor-packed, comforting, satisfying, mouthwatering concoction that I can dream up with an egg and a bagel. What makes it so special is the crafted combination of flavors and textures that hit your tastebuds from every angle–from salty, smokey, crispy ham, to sweet & caramelized charred tomatoes, tangy marinated peppadew peppers and pickled onions, cool creamy avocado, melty sharp cheddar, rich oozy egg yolk, salty/savory seasoning, and perfectly toasty, crisp & chewy slices of onion bagel. It’s the most requested hot sandwich in my kitchen, universally loved, and my personal favorite.

Ingredient Breakdown

For maximal flavor, each ingredient really matters. I try to avoid insisting on super-specific or uncommon ingredients in my recipes, but I will point out some of the details that take this sandwich to the next level. Of course, there are plenty of substitutions that will still taste great.

Bread – An onion bagel or everything bagel is my favorite for this sandwich. Make it thin by slicing a bagel half through the center with a bread knife. With a thinner bagel, it’s easy to toast the sandwich in the skillet and heat it all the way through. If using a whole bagel, I recommend placing the sandwich open-faced in the toaster oven to melt the cheese. If you don’t have any bagels, you can definitely sub a bun or 2 slices of crusty bread like sourdough.
Egg – Splurge on organic pasture-raised Heritage eggs for the deepest amber yolk, richest flavor, creamiest texture, and best nutrient profile. I save these eggs for recipes in which the egg is the star of the show (like this one).
Ham – Look for nitrate/nitrite-free, freshly sliced black forest ham from your deli. You can also sub prosciutto, bacon, turkey bacon, or another thin salty meat that crisps up well. Make the ham or prosciutto crispy by tearing it into pieces and quickly pan-searing it over medium heat or toasting/broiling it in the toaster oven until lightly browned, crisp, and shriveled at the edges.
Cheese – My favorite on this sandwich is sharp to extra sharp, aged, or smoked yellow cheddar. Importantly, buy the block and slice it yourself for the best flavor and meltability.
Tomatoes – Roasted sweet cherry tomatoes make the sandwich in my opinion. These Sugar Bombs or Flavor Bombs are the sweetest, most flavorful and delicious tomatoes I’ve ever found outside Sicily. By roasting them, you concentrate the flavor even further, so you can load all that yumminess onto the sandwich without making it soggy. Thinly slice a few cherry tomatoes length-wise into quarters, lie them flat on a piece of foil brushed with a little olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and ground black pepper, and broil or toast them until shriveled and lightly charred at the edges. This takes about 15 minutes in my toaster oven.
Pickled red onion – Make a batch to keep on-hand! It’s too easy and the payoff is too great. Pickled onions bring out a pop of flavor in sandwiches, salads, and bowls, and they’ll make you never want to eat raw onion again. Here is a super simple formula to get you started. No cooking or special tools required.
Peppadew peppers – They’re sweet and tangy with the perfect little touch of heat. Look for them at the olive bar at your grocery store, or buy them jarred.
Avocado – Ripe mashed avocado makes a perfect spread for this sandwich.
Seasoning – You can use your favorite all-purpose seasoning, seasoned salt, or spice rub for eggs. I want to shout out this Pizza Seasoning Spice Blend from the Spice & Tea Exchange because it tastes outrageous on this sandwich. It has a zesty, salty, nostalgic flavor with tomato, cheddar cheese, pizza herbs, garlic, onion, paprika, and pepper.

Method

For a thin bagel, slice one half of a large bagel in half down the center, as pictured here. With thinner bread, the sandwich will easily toast and melt all the way through when grilling it on the stovetop. If using a whole bagel, I recommend toasting it open-faced to melt the cheese before closing the sandwich. Alternatively, prep 2 slices of soft crusty bread or a burger bun.
Tear the ham into pieces and char in a skillet or in the toaster oven. Thinly slice the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toast or broil until shriveled.
On one slice of bagel, mash the avocado and sprinkle with seasoning. Top with ham. (If using a thick bagel or bun, place cheese on the top half, and place both halves face-up in the toaster oven or under the broiler. Heat until cheese is melted.)
Add butter to a skillet, heat over medium until butter is melted, and swirl the pan to coat. (I think you get the best flavor cooking eggs in butter!) Fry the egg on one side just until the white starts to set, then gently flip and continue cooking about 30 seconds longer. The white should be cooked, and the yolk should be thickened but still runny. To make the egg fit evenly on the bagel (so the yolk doesn’t fall through the hole or explode when you close the sandwich), use a knife to knick the yolk near the end of cooking, and gently press down to let some of the yolk ooze out over the white until relatively flat. Place the egg on top of the bottom bagel over the ham.
Add cheese, chopped peppadews, pickled onion, and roasted tomatoes. Close the sandwich and place back on the hot greased skillet. Gently press down with a spatula and toast on each side until crispy and the cheese is melted.