Bacon and Leek Risotto with Poached Egg
At this point you may be asking yourself "self, what the hell is a leek?" I mention this because most times I say that something involved leeks I get a lot of blank stares, as if I plan on cooking with unicorn hair. The easiest way to explain is that leeks look and for the most part taste like giant green onions. The "onion" flavor is pretty mild and you definitely won't find yourself tearing up while cutting them.To get the recipe started we must first poach the eggs. Poaching eggs is something that fascinates me, I can't really explain why but the idea of cooking eggs in moderately warm water just seems funny. Grab your large skillet and fill it with water and heat it over medium to medium-low heat. The recipe says you can do this over just simmering water, but I've found that is only true if you'd like to slow cook your eggs over three days.
In order to not neglect any of the individual eggs it is important to work with one egg at a time(eggs are very needy, kind of like this chick https://twitter.com/OvrlyAttachdGF). Crack an egg into a small bowl and then slide the egg into the pan. 
When I first read this description I wondered why dirty extra dishes when I can just crack the egg straight into the water. I soon realized that by doing it this way it keeps the whites and the yolk all neat and close together, whereas cracking it straight into the pan creates a completely unmanageable mess of egg whites. Ok, that might be a slightly extreme exaggeration, but definitely your eggs will not come out looking all nice and tidy.Cook the eggs until the egg whites are cooked through (obvious?) but the yolk is still a little runny. Then using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a bowl filled with ice water. I still dont understand the point of this step. Although it does say you can make the eggs up to 1 day ahead if you cover them in the ice water bowl, but seriously, do you want to eat day old eggs?
When you've poached all of the eggs, pull out a medium skillet (not the big one, save that) and bring the broth to a simmer in that pan. In the big pan heat the oil over medium heat and cook the bacon until it is crispy. Pull out that trusty slotted spoon (you'll get your money's worth out of it today) and transfer the bacon to paper towel to drain. 
DO NOT DRAIN THE BACON GREASE!!! I know instinct says clean that out, but why waste all that greasy goodness. The recipe even tells you not to waste it. Add your chopped leeks to the pan and cook until they're soft but not brown, which takes about 5 minutes or so. Put aside about two tablespoons of leeks and set them aside for garnish later. 
Add the rice to the pan and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the wine and stir until it is completely absorbed. The recipe says this will take about 2 minutes, they lie. Its probably closer to 5 minutes.
When you've worked your way through all of the broth, your rice should be soft and creamy. When the broth is gone from the "other pan", use that pan to heat some water to a simmer. I suppose that isn't really "heating" but you know what I mean.
Add the iced down poached eggs to the water pan to reheat. While that is going on, add the bacon, parsley, butter and cheese to the rice and mix well.
I love eating this dish, I don't always love cooking it, mostly because stirring rice for 45 minutes is not my idea of a fun time in the kitchen. Try it though, its completely worth it.
