Fried Potatoes and Eggs
This fried potatoes and eggs breakfast recipe makes an easy, healthy, skillet breakfast or supper that's almost a casserole. It's essentially just scrambled eggs and home fries in olive oil. And rest assured, it'll be accompanied by requests for seconds.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces red potatoes, (4 small or 2 medium), scrubbed
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Generous pinch dried herbs or spices, such as oregano, basil, Italian herbs, tarragon, thyme, herbes de Provence, paprika, or ground cumin (optional)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup grated or crumbled cheese, such as aged or extra-sharp Cheddar, pepper Jack, feta, goat cheese, Gruyère, aged Swiss, provolone, or regular or smoked mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, or dill (optional)
Instructions
- Dice the potatoes into evenly sized and fairly small (although not super tiny) dice. You want them small enough so they more or less fit in a single layer in an 8-inch nonstick skillet and will cook quickly. Aim for about 1/2-inch dice—no larger.
- Place the potatoes in the skillet and add the water, oil, and salt and crank the heat to medium-high. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly, cover, and set a timer for 5 minutes. Let the potatoes cook, stirring once or twice if you think of it, while you prep the rest of your ingredients. By the end of the 5 minutes, the water should have just evaporated, and the potatoes should be barely tender and maybe even have started to brown a little.
- Uncover the potatoes and use a spatula to loosen them from the skillet. Cover again and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2 to 5 minutes. If using dried herbs/spices, sprinkle them over the potatoes now.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
- Pour the eggs over the browned potatoes, strew with the scallion, and scramble until the eggs are just set, maybe a minute or so.
- Sprinkle the eggs and potatoes with the cheese and fresh herbs, remove the skillet from the heat, and let the whole shebang rest for a few minutes until the residual heat melts the cheese and finishes cooking the eggs. (If you're in a hurry and don't mind losing a little crispness on the potatoes, you can cover the skillet so the cheese melts more quickly and evenly.)
- Scoop the mess of fried potatoes and eggs from the skillet and onto plates. Pass the forks.
Notes
Fried Potatoes and Eggs Variation
Fried Potatoes and Eggs Stir-Ins Sure, you can ad hoc any combination of ingredients, but sometimes you want something certain to work. That would be these combinations of stir-ins:Pepper Jack and cilantro
Feta and oregano
Goat cheese and thyme
Extra-sharp Cheddar and dill
Gruyère and tarragon
Provolone and Italian herbs
Swiss and paprika Fried Potatoes and Eggs for a Crowd No matter which flavor combo you opt for above, this dish is easy to double to serve 4 for brunch or a light dinner. Just double the ingredients and use a 10-inch skillet instead. Or double the doubled recipe and grab a second 10-inch skillet and you’ve got breakfast for a crowd. Scallion-less Fried Potatoes and Eggs You can omit the scallion if you like. No tears, no funky breath. Just keep in mind that this early-morning allium imparts great color and flavor to the rather monochromatic plate of fried potatoes and eggs.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 299mg | Sodium: 533mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g