One of my favorite parts of summer is making breakfast. During the school year, I have to be at work (as a middle school teacher) before 7:00 AM. Breakfast turns into a cup of coffee on my way out the door. On the weekends I am helplessly lured by the many amazing brunch places in the twin cities. Cooking breakfast at home is a rare occurrence. So in the summer, I rejoice in it. Fiance and I have gone through enough eggs this summer to feed a small horde of hipsters at brunch. It is magical.
One reason that we are drawn to brunch restaurants is that Fiance and I have very different ideas of what makes a delicious breakfast. He loves anything sweet and covered in syrup, while I am drawn to the spicy and savory side. When I cook at home, I win this battle. Because I am the one cooking. Nevertheless, he sighs, and groans, and dreams of strawberry stuffed french toast.
This recipe won him over. In fact, it has won over everyone who tasted it.
Except Obi. Who didn’t get to try it, and is really more interested in me throwing his new crocodile toy anyway.
If chorizo isn’t really your thing, any other sort of diced or ground meat works just as well, just adjust the seasoning to match your taste preference. I love chorizo because it adds maximum flavor with minimum effort, but it does add a level of heat. If spicy breakfast isn’t your thing use a milder flavor meat and tone down the spices used on the potatoes. Skip the chili flakes and cayenne and add more herbs or whatever else you want. The beauty of this recipe is that it is ridiculously easy to personalize!
Finally, there are two ways to make this recipe. The delicious way, and the quick way. I am going to give directions for the delicious way, but if you are short on time this recipe can be shortened by putting the potatoes straight into boiling water after cutting them, boiling until soft, and then adding to the pan with the chorizo, vegetables, and spices. Mix and serve immediately. This cuts the cooking time about it half, but it doesn’t develop the flavors the same way and if you aren’t careful the potatoes overcook and the whole dish turns to mush. Which isn’t enticing at all.
A reasonable serving for one person is about 1.5 red potatoes, however I tend to make twice as much as I need because it keeps beautifully overnight. Actually, it is almost better the next day after all the flavors have sat together for a while. You could definitely make this whole dish ahead of time and just heat up the hash and cook the eggs when you want it. Especially if you have a hungry family waiting.
Ingredients
- ~6 red potatoes (for four people, add more if you want leftovers or if you have really hungry guests!)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1-2 bell peppers, diced
- 8 oz chorizo
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1.5 T salt
- 1 T black pepper
- 1 T smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 T chili flakes
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 T dry parsley
- 1 T dry tarragon
- 8 eggs (or two per person)
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 415 degrees fahrenheit. Dice the potatoes into about quarter inch cubes. The smaller you cut the potatoes, the quicker they will cook and the more homogeneous the hash will be. Dice the onion and pepper into pieces about the same size. Throw everything into a 9×13 baking pan. Toss with olive oil and all the spices and herbs (everything but the eggs and chorizo should be in this pan). Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 30 minutes, removing every 10 to stir so that it does not stick to the pan. After about 30 minutes, taste and add salt or spices as desired to bring the mixture to your desired heat level. The dish is done when the potatoes are soft.
While the potatoes bake, cook the chorizo in a skillet over medium heat until done. I usually put the chorizo on a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the extra grease. When the potato mixture is done, mix it in with the chorizo. Cook two eggs per person, either sunny side up or over-easy. You want a good runny yolk!
To serve, put the potato and chorizo hash on the bottom of the plate, and top with the eggs.
Breakfast perfected.
Clash of Pans 