There are breakfasts you make when you have time to cook, and there are breakfasts you make when you would like something good but don't particularly want to cook.
This one falls somewhere pleasantly in between.
It is essentially my homemade version of an Egg McMuffin: an English muffin, Canadian bacon, egg and cheese. The useful discovery was that a small silicone egg round and a microwave turn it into something I can make in less than five minutes without getting out a frying pan.
I used a Dave's Killer Bread English muffin, two pieces of Canadian bacon, one medium egg and cheese. I also put a very small amount of Partanna extra-virgin olive oil in the silicone round. Those happen to be the products I had and used; there's nothing about the method that requires those particular brands.
The important part is the order in which you do everything.
Start With the Muffin
Start the English muffin first, because the egg cooks surprisingly quickly.
I've never found a fork necessary for splitting an English muffin.
Hold the muffin between both palms over the sink and gently twist the two halves back and forth in opposite directions. Once you feel them beginning to separate, use your fingertips to loosen any stubborn spots around the outside edge.
The irregular interior stays intact, which is exactly what you want in an English muffin.
Put the two halves in the toaster.
Now make the egg.
The One-Minute Egg Round
Lightly coat the bottom and inside edge of a microwave-safe silicone egg round with oil. I used Partanna extra-virgin olive oil, but only a little is necessary.
Place one or two pieces of Canadian bacon in the bottom of the round.
Crack one medium or large egg directly over the Canadian bacon, trying to keep it reasonably centered. Break the yolk with the tip of a fork or knife and add salt and pepper if you want them.
Cover the round before putting it in the microwave.
I used a paper towel because I wanted as little cleanup as possible. That worked, although the Canadian bacon and egg popped enough during cooking to move the paper towel around. A slightly heavier microwave-safe cover would probably work better.
In my microwave, the egg and Canadian bacon were cooked in about one minute.
Microwaves vary, so treat one minute as a starting point rather than an absolute cooking time. The egg should be fully set before you eat it.
Remove the silicone round from the microwave and set it aside while you finish the muffin.
Put It Together
When the English muffin pops up, work fairly quickly.
Put the cheese onto the hot muffin immediately so the residual heat starts softening it.
American cheese is my usual choice because it melts so easily and gives the sandwich that familiar breakfast-sandwich flavor. For something a little different, Asiago cheese spread works especially well and gives it considerably more character.
Turn the silicone round upside down over the muffin. The Canadian bacon and egg should release together as a single round.
Add the other half of the English muffin and you're finished.
The silicone mold isn't essential, but it solves one of the little problems with homemade breakfast sandwiches: instead of having fried egg hanging over one side of the muffin and nothing on the other, everything comes out roughly the right size.
More importantly, there is almost nothing to clean up.
One plate. One silicone round. Maybe a fork.
And in less time than it would take me to get in the car and go looking for a breakfast sandwich, I've got a hot one at the kitchen table.