Appetites: Is raising your own chickens worth the work?

Chef and cookbook author Amy Thielen keeps one rooster and six hens for the purpose of laying eggs. It takes work to keep so many chickens, so what's the payoff?

"It's not a financial value I can tell you that," Thielen said. She doesn't think she's broken even on what she would have paid for eggs at the store compared to what it has cost for feed and equipment for the chickens she has. But the birds definitely have value.

"Chickens are really entertaining," she said. "We call it chicken TV. You can just watch them because they are so curious ... it is like a live Vegas show."

But if you aren't watching, they can get into some trouble, too. Thielen has caught them in her herb garden, they'll lay eggs in her main garden. And contrary to popular belief, roosters are noisy all day, not just in the morning.

But they're actually good for the yard, Thielen says, as they eat ticks and fertilize the grass as they wander around.

As for the eggs, they taste deeper and richer, she said. "Almost like the volume is turned up on the egg."

Egg Dish with Bacon and Spinach

Recipe courtesy of The New Midwestern Table, Clarkson Potter, 2013

This traditional Midwestern egg dish — a layered casserole of eggs, cheese sauce, bacon, and spinach, topped with a crunchy mess of garlicky, buttery croutons — is an Easter brunch favorite. It's all the more luxurious for using hard-boiled eggs instead of raw eggs, which crumble into the velvety sauce. It's also the only egg casserole I've ever known to reheat well, which makes it a good candidate for potlucks.

NOTE: To get this in the oven in the morning in time for brunch, you can boil the eggs, cook the bacon and vegetables, and make the cheese sauce the day before. Keep them all in the refrigerator overnight.

Ingredients:

12 large eggs
12 slices (12 ounces) thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
1 leek, white and green parts, halved and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch (10 ounces) spinach, stemmed and chopped
Fine sea salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) salted butter, plus more for the dish
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, cold
3 cups (10 ounces) shredded aged cheddar or Gouda cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
5 cups (12 ounces) diced ciabatta bread

Directions

Put the eggs in a saucepan and cover generously with water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs sit in the water for exactly 10 minutes.

Pour off the hot water and cover the eggs with fresh cold water. Crack the eggs gently, and return them to the cold water. Peel the eggs underwater.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and when it's hot, add the bacon and cook, stirring, until it is crisp at the edges, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon and leave a thin layer of fat in the skillet. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until they start to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until the greens are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons of the butter. When it foams, add the flour, whisk to combine, and cook until the mixture bubbles in the center. Add the cold milk all at once, and when it comes to a boil, cook gently, whisking, until the mixture thickens and no flour taste remains, about 3 minutes. Add the cheese and whisk until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the thyme, 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the nutmeg.

Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Put the bread cubes in a medium bowl and add the melted butter, the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Rub a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with a little butter. Slice 6 of the eggs and layer them in the dish. Dot the egg layer evenly with half of the vegetables and half of the bacon. Add 1 heaping cup of croutons. Cover with 6 more sliced eggs, the rest of the vegetables, and the rest of the bacon. Pour the cheese sauce over everything, shaking the dish to send it to the bottom. Evenly distribute the remaining croutons on top.

Bake until the sauce bubbles and the croutons turn golden brown and crisp throughout, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the egg dish sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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