Sweet Potato Hash
I love the idea of a hash for breakfast, even though the corned beef hash seen on most menus tends to scare me a bit. I will often make a hash the morning after I have made a delicious roasted pork loin, and cube several thick leftover slices to put into the hash. If you don’t have a pork loin to use, bacon is a good substitute— or, for that matter, any rustic roasted or grilled meat.
Serves 4
4 sweet potatoes (1¾ pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces slab bacon, sliced ¼-inch thick and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 pound Vidalia or other sweet onions, cut in a rough dice
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chives, minced
Salt and pepper
In a medium saucepan of salted boiling water, boil the sweet potatoes for 3 minutes; drain well.
In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat until crisp, 4–5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until browned, about 12 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 15 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook without stirring until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Stir in the bacon, parsley, oregano, and chives.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with your Perfect Fried Egg on top. A little crumble or two of goat cheese and herbs on top of that, and you are in heaven.
Egg in a Nest
This is one of the neighborhood children’s favorite things to ask for when coming to Ms. Tasia’s house, no matter what time of day. Little Jack Schamban swears by mine, but just know that it is the easiest recipe to make and has a little bit of fun built right in. I make these one at a time, and if you have a crowd you can keep the prepared ones in a very low heat oven (you don’t want to cook the yolk through) until all are made and everyone is gathered at the table.
Serves 1
Olive oil (to coat the bottom of the pan, may need to add again after the flip)
1 slice good-quality whole-grain bread
1 egg
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
Coat the bottom of a good nonstick or, even better, a cast-iron skillet with olive oil. Heat over medium heat.
Use a biscuit cutter or just free-form tear a hole in the center of the bread.
Place holey bread in skillet and crack the egg in the hole. Let the egg set up and the bread get toasty on one side and then flip to toast the other side of the bread for roughly 2 minutes per side, depending on preference for how well done the egg should be. I believe it is best though when the yolk is runny and can spread over the plate so the bread can soak it all up!
Belle Chèvre Scrambled Eggs with Shiitake Mushrooms
Who doesn’t love scrambled eggs? If there is some one out there who doesn’t, I haven’t met her. This recipe is a hearty and earthy way to dress up the standard fare.
Serves 4
3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
8 large eggs, well beaten
3 tablespoons chives, snipped
3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) mild goat cheese, crumbled
Toast, for serving
In a large nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
In a bowl, season the eggs with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet with the mushrooms; add the eggs. Cook over moderately low heat without stirring until the bottom is barely set, 30 seconds. Add the chives and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggs form large soft curds. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the cheese on top; let stand until softened, 30 seconds. Gently fold the cheese into the eggs; serve with toast.
Belle Chèvre Baked Eggs
I first fell in love with baked eggs at my friend Lyn Aust’s wonderful gourmet bistro in Huntsville, Alabama. Hers were ultra-yummy, as I recall, with ham and spinach. This is a simple yet very elegant version. What I especially like is that it is remarkably easy to feed a crowd with this dish.
Serves 6
2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, thyme, mint, tarragon), chopped
Clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half
6 eggs
3 tablespoons goat cheese, finely crumbled
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine herbs and garlic; set aside. In a glass measuring cup, mix butter and cream. Place six 4-ounce ramekins or ovenproof cups on a baking sheet. Pour butter mixture evenly among ramekins. Bake in oven until bubbly hot, about 1–3 minutes.
Remove from oven. To avoid breaking yolks, carefully crack 1 egg into a separate cup and gently slide it into a heated ramekin. Top eggs with herb and mixture and crumbled cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining eggs.
Return to oven and bake 3–5 minutes. Eggs should look not quite done; they will continue to cook after removed from oven. Place each ramekin on a plate. Serve immediately with toast.
Cornmeal Pancakes Topped with Honey-Pecan Butter
I wholeheartedly agree with Mark Bittman, author of How To Cook Everything, when he said that we must have, as Americans, lost our connection to the kitchen when we stopped making pancakes from scratch. This recipe calls for an incredibly easy mix of ingredients, and I am sure you will love experiencing the result. The fromage blanc makes it especially pleasing.
I adore this recipe!
Serves 4–6
Honey-Pecan Butter ½ cup (1 stick) butter, unsalted, warmed to room temperature
2 tablespoons honey (my favorite is Savannah Bee’s Tupelo Honey)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Salt, to taste
Cornmeal Pancakes 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs