Over easy ham steak with red-eye gravy

1) To make the red-eye gravy, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the chicken and brown, skin side down. Turn over the chicken pieces and add the chopped onion. Cook until soft and starting to colour, about 6 to 8 minutes.

2) Cover with chicken stock, and add the coffee and brown sugar, if using. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 2 to 4 hours. Strain the gravy into a large bowl and reserve. The chicken can be used for another recipe or discarded.

3) Preheat a large heavy bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the ham steaks with black pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook until golden brown on each side, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to the serving plates.

4) Once steaks have been removed, using the same frying pan reduce the heat to medium and fry the eggs to the desired doneness.

5) Cover the steaks with red-eye gravy and crown each with a fried egg. This dish can be served with potatoes, hash browns or scones, if desired.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore we cannot make any representation as to the results.