Baked Eggs with Crispy Hash Brown Crust

After two days staying home sick I am finally out of the house again. No I am not feeling all that much better, but I don’t think I am contagious anymore and I was getting pretty bored at home (did I mention I don’t have cable or internet or smart phone?). I brought data results and research papers home with me to work on my own, but I find I am more in the mind-set to write sciencey things when I am at my desk at lab. So even though I do not have any bench work to do, I am at lab to get those nerd-brain-juices flowing.

The one benefit to staying home was cooking breakfast for myself (at noon when I finally dragged myself out of my sick bed). You should start one of your mornings this week/weekend with this fun breakfast because it has a crispy hash brown crust topped with eggs and cheese. It’s like a breakfast skillet pie! This recipe can also easily be doubled or tripled for a family-sized breakfast, just remember to use a bigger skillet.

One year ago: Cheesy Cat Treats

Two years ago: Funfetti Cake Batter Smoothie

BAKED EGGS WITH CRISPY HASH BROWN CRUST

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

1/2 cups shredded potatoes (I used frozen, and thawed)

Salt and pepper

2 eggs

1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

2 Tbsp olive oil for cast iron skillet

Chopped green onions (optional)

Directions:

1. Press potatoes firmly between two dish towels or a few layers of paper towels. The goal is to get as much moisture out of the potatoes as possible so they’ll brown up nice and crisp.
2. Heat a 6-inch cast iron skillet with the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the potatoes and use the back of a large spoon to spread them evenly and then press them down firmly into a flat pancake. Let them sit and brown, undisturbed, for about 3-4 minutes. Make sure your heat isn’t so high that it burns the potatoes – you want them to get golden brown but not burn. You can use your spoon to lift up an edge and take a peek to monitor progress.
3. When the first side is brown, use a large spatula to flip the whole thing over. They shredded browned potatoes should be intertwined with each other enough that this isn’t too difficult to do. Let the 2nd side brown for an additional 4 minutes.
4. When both sides of the crust are browned, remove from heat and crack the 2 eggs evenly over the top. Season with a little salt and pepper if desired, then sprinkle the 1/4 cup of shredded cheese over the eggs.
5. Pop in the oven on broil for 5-7 minutes, depending on whether you like your eggs to be soft or hard. Top with green onions, slice, serve, and enjoy!

Source: Down-sized from Two Tarts.