I Ate Eggs Benedict On Latkes And It Blew My Mind

I moved to New York City nearly a year ago; when people ask me what my favorite part about the city is, my answer is always the same. Brunch.

No city in the world does brunch like New York City — at least not that I've been to. There are French toast slices as thick as loaves here. There are pizzas topped with eggs and smoked salmon. All served within a haven of day-drinking camaraderie shared with your fellow hungover patrons. I mean, come on. Does it get better than that?

So between long stretches of sad desk lunches and cheap weeknight meals, I like to indulge on weekends in boozy, cheesy, and unbelievably lazy afternoons at brunch. Sue me.

But a couple of weekends ago — yes, I have managed to squeeze brunch into my budget almost every weekend — I discovered the brunch food to end all brunch food.

Eggs Benedict, but on latkes instead of English muffins.

I truly could not have asked for anything more. It had everything a hangover-killing afternoon meal requires: fried potatoes, perfect poached eggs, and heavenly hollandaise. Just the right amount of grease to satisfy. Just the right amount of carbs to indulge. And, of course, no brunch is complete without that perfect poke of a yolk, spilling over smoked salmon and salt. I ordered mine with a spicy Bloody Mary (that quickly turned into three) and entered a state of pure bliss.

Now, I've long believed that eggs Benedict is the ultimate brunch dish. But this is exactly what was missing from eggs Benedict: fried freaking potatoes.

To give credit where credit is due, I ordered this dreamy dish from The Regal, a fine establishment in Williamsburg in Brooklyn. You can bet I'll be back.

My mind was blown; never again will I be satisfied with a mere English muffin. In the meantime, I'll be left to just drool over these other epic brunch dishes from across America.

Holly Van Hare is the Healthy Eating Editor at The Daily Meal with a passion for podcasting and peanut butter. You can listen to her podcast Nut Butter Radio on iTunes and follower her health food Instagram @eating_peanut_better.