A Skillet Breakfast

A trip to the grocery store is definitely in order, but it is time for Sunday morning breakfast and I feel inspired to be a bit more creative today. I could have settled for some quick eggs and called it good, but I do have some additional ingredients that can be put to use, so I decide on something a bit more stylish.

First of all, I dig out a skillet. I chose one of my newer cast iron skillets thinking that for what I have in mind, it is skillet worthy. I’m going to make a potato bottom egg frittata, or something like that, packed with proteins, a bit of carbs, and some extra flavors to make it pop.

Hash Brown & Egg Skillet Breakfast
serves 4

olive oil, EVOO or your favorite infused blend
1/4 onion, diced
1/3 package of bulk sausage, browned and drained
1/3 package of frozen, diced hash browns
4 eggs, whisked with 1/8 cup of milk
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sprinkles of fresh herbs (choose from thyme, rosemary, basil, and/or parsley)

Heat the skillet over medium heat with a a tablespoon or two of olive oil. (I used caramelized garlic olive oil) Saute the onion in the oil until tender and slightly browned, while in a separate skillet, browning the sausage. Drain the sausage on a paper towel until ready for use.

Add the frozen hash browns and continue to cook, lowering the temperature especially if you’re using a cast iron pan. Remember, a cast iron pan retains a lot of heat and you don’t want it to burn. After about 5 minutes and some tossing the hash browns occasionally, pour in the whisked eggs, salt and pepper, and sausage. Cook until almost done by lifting the edges of the eggs allowing some uncooked eggs to roll to the lower level of the pan. When the eggs are nearly cooked, cover with the cheddar cheese and herbs to taste, covering with a lid for about two minutes to melt the cheese and finish the last of the eggs. egg hashbrown skillet

I cut the finished skillet dish in fourths and served up a quarter for each of us along with a buttered slice of toast, and the best part is from conception to serving, it wasn’t even 30 minutes.

Adjusting this recipe would be very easy…. do you try to live dairy free? Leave off the cheese and don’t add milk to the scrambled eggs. Love or hate onions? That is easily modified too. In other words, don’t be afraid to personalize the skillet to your preferences. If I had spinach or fresh tomatoes available, that would have been an easy addition. A different flavor of cheese could be swapped out – try feta, Monterrey or pepper jack, or crumbled goat cheese. The key to this recipe is simply to establish a foundation, such as the diced hash brown potatoes, the eggs are the binder, add crumbled bacon, sausage, spinach or tofu to increase your protein and top with your preferred seasonings. Of course, my husband adds Tabasco or a chili paste to almost everything he eats, so green, red or jalapeno peppers would top it off nicely as well.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Blessings,
Tina