Spice up your breakfast with this fiery hot potato hash recipe

If you've been searching for something to eat with your eggs that isn't meat or bread, then look no further.

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Breakfast can be a tricky meal. You’re forced to choose between sweet and savory, and if you pick savory you’re basically confined to eggs. Confined may be a funny way to describe an ingredient as versatile as eggs, but for most people in a hurry to eat before work in the morning, you’re looking at either a breakfast sandwich or eggs with toast and possibly a meat. I’ve found myself backed into this corner more times than I can count, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

I remember the first time I had corned beef hash when I was a kid. I was excited to try this exotic new canned food, and it was…bad? It was bad. It didn’t taste good. The texture was bizarrely grainy, and if you had blindfolded me and asked me what I was eating, I don’t think I would have been able to pick out a single ingredient. I don’t think I had a breakfast hash again for like 15 years, if not longer. Anyway, this recipe is not like that.

I guess we should start with what this potato hash doesn’t have: bread or meat. Potatoes may not be comparatively that much better than bread, but they’re gluten free which is a big deal for a lot of people. And while meat is very often a cornerstone ingredient for breakfast hashes, a meatless alternative is needed for many. And I can assure you that you won’t miss it here.

Now we can get to what this recipe does have: tons and tons of flavor. Serrano peppers may be diminutive little things, but they pack a punch fearsome enough to shine through the potato. The onion and garlic provide a strong aromatic backbone to go along with the heat, and a handful of fresh parsley at the end balances the dish with a fresh, herbaceous note. I left the skin on the potatoes to provide a little textural variation, and also because what little nutritional value potatoes have is almost entirely in the skin.

You could eat this dish at any meal, but it really sings when you serve it with over easy or sunny side up eggs. The runny egg yolk blends beautifully to create a thick sauce, and I found myself more or less licking the plate clean every time I had it this way.

Another great thing about this dish is that it’s easy to make ahead of time and reheats well. So if you’re one of those weird people that likes to “plan ahead” and “be organized”, this will fit into your meal prep plans with ease.

Notes

1. If you don’t like spicy food, I would opt for jalapeno peppers instead of serranos. This may sound like its too much, but the potatoes absorb so much of the heat that the jalapenos didn’t give as much heat as they did a pleasant, peppery flavor. If you want it really spicy, go ahead and leave the seeds in. Be careful though.

2. The potatoes provide a wonderful platform to improvise with herbs and spices. You can add in different components and totally change the character of the dish. Maybe add some cumin and swap the parsley for cilantro. Maybe try rosemary in there. The limit is your own imagination.

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Spicy potato hash

Serves: 4
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut to 1/2” dice
2 serrano peppers, seeded and diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place potatoes in the pan and season with salt and pepper. Toss them to coat evenly in oil and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring them occasionally to prevent them from sticking.

2. Add serranos and onion to pan, cooking for another 10 minutes. About halfway through, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the pan and cover. This will help ensure the potatoes cook through all the way. Repeat as needed. Once potatoes are soft, add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper to desired levels, and remove from heat and mix in parsley.