Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
In our house, I’m known to be The Queen of Gravy-Making. But almost anything else that is breakfast or brunch related, is Chris’ domain. & he is so damn good at it too!
Our late-morning-weekends (both days, if we are lucky!) consist of Champagne sipping, list-making, meal-planning & lazy discussions. Chris is usually whipping up something delicious (Evelyn’s Zucchini Squares) and that means we have time to sit & chat together while they are baking, or he’s a mad man chopping & grating up all the things for his famous Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash.
So y’all definitely know by now that I love to “doctor up” things that are boxed or I really like to try dishes out in a restaurant & then go home and make it my own – aka BETTER. Well, this particular breakfast dish is neither, so I don’t have much else to say other than buckle up.
the unassuming sweet potato
I love diner hashbrowns – brown & crispy edges, soft onions (sometimes some other delicious surprises too!) & ketchup all over. I love them so much, but I have never once seen a sweet potato hashbrown – WHY IS THAT?! Sweet potatoes are so overlooked & so damn delicious, it should be a total outrage to all breakfast & brunchers alike.
Sweet Potatoes are rich in Vitamin A, zero Cholesterol & full of antioxidants. Sweet potato fries are a thing & no one bats an eye – but where is my sweet potato HASH at??
I randomly mentioned this fact to Chris one time while we were out enjoying brunch, that home fries & hash browns get all the glory – but that sweet potatoes seem to be totally left out when it came to breakfast or brunch menu items & that it clearly didn’t sit well with me. It was a very emotional & fiery conversation, as you can tell.
Well, that sweet man decided to sneak a sweet potato on the grocery list one week & told me he was going to try his hand at a breakfast hash using sweet potatoes, just for me! We have tried (but never failed) with a few variations over the years, but it definitely didn’t take too many attempts to get this juuuuust riiiiiiight.
the 1 bowl trick
Soft, caramelized onions & bell peppers, sweet & salty ham cubes, rich cheddar cheese & a runny egg all come in the mix to make his Sweet Potato Hash worth writing about! – OH – yes, and of course, the grated sweet potato too – shit, can’t believe I almost forgot that! The star of the show! The whole reason why I bitched in the first place! Literally the sole reason for this entry.
ANYWAY.
This breakfast item is one of our favorites because its relatively quick, 6 inexpensive ingredients & easy to make your own! We enjoy making this sweet potato hash year-round because all the ingredients are in season & they aren’t hard to find. We have mixed & matched spices over the years and our secret ingredient is definitely the BBQ Coffee Rub from Trader Joe’s. ((if you’ve read all my entries so far, you’ll realize I have a true love affair with this damn spice)) The coffee gives it a breakfast vibe & the BBQ gives it a brunch vibe – what a perfect combo, amirite? Adding in dashes of garlic powder & even a splash of hot sauce definitely round out this dish to be damn near perfect.
Ingredients
· 1 large sweet potato, peeled & grated
· ½ medium Vidalia onion, diced
· ½ sweet bell pepper, diced – any color
· 8 oz cubed ham
· 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
· 4 eggs, cooked however you’d like – but preferably over-easy
· 1 TBS Trader Joe’s BBQ Coffee Spice
· S+P, to taste
· Garlic Powder, to taste
· Hot Sauce, optional – to taste
Instructions
Peel & grate the sweet potato – set aside.
Dice both your sweet onion & bell pepper into bite-size chunks – you want some differentiation between that & the sweet potato.
Sauté & season your onion and bell pepper together in a medium size pan with salt, pepper & garlic.
Add in your ham cubes along with your peppers & onions, sprinkle in your BBQ Coffee Spice and toss to thoroughly warm the ham & coat everything in the seasoning.
Remove your ham, onion & bell pepper mixture into a small bowl.
Cover & set aside.
Using the same pan, spray liberally with non-stick spray & set your heat to Medium High.
Gently place your grated sweet potato into the pan & do not disturb for 2 minutes.
((The point of this hash is not to be super crispy or flat like what we all know & love from a diner – but instead to be softened, flavorful & have just a bit of char))
Gently stir or flip sections of your sweet potato hash every minute or so, to allow as many sides / layers to come in contact with the heat for about 5 minutes.
Season your sweet potato hash with salt, pepper & garlic powder – feel free to add more BBQ Coffee Spice if you wish!
While your sweet potato hash is cooking, in a separate pan, on medium-low heat, spray liberally with more non-stick spray & crack 2 eggs at a time.
((Cook your eggs however you’d like – sunny side up, over easy, over medium – I’ll bet a soft scramble would even be delicious!))
Give your sweet potato has a final stir / flip and add your ham and pepper & onion mixture back in.
Stir well to combine – sneak a little taste too!
Your eggs should be finishing up cooking by now so you’ll be ready for plating!
In your favorite bowl, scoop your sweet potato hash in the bottom, top with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese & finally slide your glorious eggs on top – sprinkle with more cheese.
Obviously repeat this process for whoever else’s bowl is lucky enough to be eating this with you.
Dashes of hot sauce on top of a soft scrambled or runny egg is *chefs kiss* and that extra sprinkle of cheese makes everything all the more heavenly. HEAVENLY HASH. Dammit. That’s what I should have called this – oh well. Enjoy!
nothin’ but goodness
Content to eat out of a bowl with no regrets, break the eggs & watch it run down into each crevice that the grated sweet potatoes have to offer. Chris is such a thoughtful breakfast-maker so I’m insanely proud to share one of his concoctions with you. Make this for your partner the next time you have a lazy weekend on the books – you won’t be disappointed & the cleanup is a breeze too. Hope you enjoy this recipe that was born from my bitching for the lack of breakfast sweet potatoes. If you loved it, great! – if you didn’t then same.
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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