Shirred Eggs with Mashed Potato

We made this delicious dish for Father's Day brunch with sausage patties and French toast. The shirred eggs made the meal special. They were velvety and rich. In it's original form, this recipe called for making a potato puree, but I simplified this recipe by using Simply Potatoes mashed potatoes. Shh! Don't tell Ruth.

Shirred Eggs with Mashed Potato
From Ruth Reichl My Kitchen Year
Serves 4

1 lb mashed potatoes
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
4 Tblsp butter
salt
pepper
4 eggs
fresh chives, snipped

Melt the butter and stir in 1/2 cup cream. Mix the cream and butter into the mashed potatoes.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and put a kettle of water on to boil.

Butter 4 ramekins and fill each with about an inch of mashed potato. Crack an egg into each ramekin. Select a baking dish and place the ramekins in it. Pour boiling water into the pan, taking care not to get water in the ramekins, until the water submerges the ramekins halfway.

Bake for 8 minutes or until the egg whites have just begun to set. Add a tablespoon of cream to each ramekin and bake 5 minutes more until the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny.

Garnish with flakes of salt and chives. Serve warm.