Taylor Ham (pork roll) the New Jersey Breakfast

“The friend of your youth is the only friend you will ever have, for he hasn’t the slightest concern with calculating his interest or your virtue…Friendship was something he suddenly discovered and had to give away as recognition of and payment for the breathlessly opening world which momently divulged itself like moonflower.”  All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren

Last weekend I was in the Garden State for my high school reunion.  After far too many years I reconnected with friends and classmates. A few random observations:

• Gloria is still the best dancer I know.
• Except for a few instances, the women looked better than the men.
• People thought I was a lot more together than I was in high school.
• I thought everyone was a lot cooler than they thought they were.
• Even though we wore much older faces, there were moments of laughter, a spontaneous outburst or a phrase that hadn’t been uttered in many years and the mask of age vanished to reveal the spirit of my friend or classmate.
• C.B Clark still has the greatest laugh.
• R.D. has very kind eyes.
• B.G. remembers all those goofy talks that we shared with her brother and Mary DG.

I left the festivities early but promised to meet up for breakfast at the Galaxy Diner to partake in a New Jersey tradition—Taylor Ham or The Jersey Breakfast. Yes, I ordered up two over easy with Taylor Ham or Taylor Pork Roll.

Sharon ordered the late night/breakfast special-Taylor ham, cheese and egg on a Kaiser roll.  One mouthful of this Jerseycentric meat brings back memories and provides enough sodium for the next week.

TAYLOR HAM, CHEESE AND EGG SANDWICH 2157

• 1 Kaiser roll sliced in half
• 2 eggs
• 3 thin slices of Taylor Ham with four cuts around the edge so the slice doesn’t curl up when cooked
• 2 slices yellow American cheese.

1.  On a griddle heated to medium high cook Taylor ham slices until brown around the edges.
2. Cook the eggs so they are over hard (break yolks) slightly browned
3. Place a slice of American cheese on each half of the Kaiser roll.
4. When Taylor ham is done place slices on bottom half of Kaiser roll on top of cheese slice.
5. Place fried eggs on top of that.  Cover with top half of Kaiser roll.
6. Slice in half.
7.  Eat.