Breakfast Potatoes

Photo of Breakfast Potatoes in a cast iron skillet No Power Potatoes
Like many in the Bay Area, I have been without power since Tuesday at noon. It could be worse. At least no trees came crashing down on my house. We lost a section of fencing but that’s no biggie. We’ll fix it. It’s all about perspective. All my people are safe, so all is well. If there is one silver lining for me to all of the mayhem and destruction it is this, no electricity means I got to test drive my camping kitchen.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I bought a used teardrop trailer with the intent of filling our empty nester weekends with new activities and adventures once the kids are all out of the house. I love camping. But, both of us agree that the days of our 50-year-old selves sleeping on the ground in a tent are over. So, we essentially bought a tent on wheels that sleeps 2—with a mattress.

What we got was pretty bare-bones and in need of customization. Naturally, I have taken the ball and run with the cooking equipment. But, I haven’t had the opportunity to test everything out—until dinner last night.

In an attempt to not lose the refrigerator full of food that I purchased over the weekend (the timing is impeccable), I scrambled up some $20 eggs and cooked some sausage along with some home fries. Divine intervention definitely occurred because normally I don’t have extra already-cooked potatoes in the fridge. But, due to an over-calculation of how many potatoes I needed for the previous night’s curry, I had potatoes.

You can never go wrong with fried potatoes at breakfast. I will take Breakfast Potatoes over hash browns any day. And, last night they fried up beautifully on my new camp stove.

There is no right or wrong way to do breakfast potatoes. The options are endless. Sometimes I use spices and sometimes just salt and pepper. Sometimes I sauté them along with some peppers and onions, and sometimes not. This is very much a case of you do you…just, preferably, not in the dark!

Breakfast Potatoes Recipe
Adapted from Anne Burrell and The Food Network
Yields four servings

Ingredients
3 Yukon gold potatoes, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Kosher salt
3 slices bacon, cut into lardons
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
1/2 medium Spanish onion, diced
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives

Directions
Boil the potatoes
Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot. Cover them with water and season the water generously with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender (about 8 minutes). Drain the potatoes and discard the garlic. Allow the potatoes to cool.

Cook the bacon
Put the bacon and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp (about 5 minutes).

Cook the vegetables
Add the onions, some salt, and crushed red pepper. Sauté until the onion is soft (2 to 3 minutes). Add the bell pepper and continue to cook until it begins to soften (about 3 to 4 additional minutes).

Add the potatoes and cook until crispy (about 4 to 5 minutes). Add more olive oil if needed. Season the potatoes and sprinkle them with the chives.

 

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