Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
My friend Sam is suddenly slightly gluten-free for reasons well-known to him. I noticed he only ever eats sausages and well-done sunny-side-up eggs for breakfast, whether at home or visiting a country with the most interesting culinary culture. It baffles me how the most explorative people can limit themselves to simplified, minimalistic menu selections. What do you mean you are in Vienne and having sausages and eggs for breakfast? Who will eat the brains, horsemeat, sweetbread, and all the stinky cheeses? Come on! Live a little!
So, now that I have driven the message home that food is good and good eating is a risk, he’s willing to try interesting gluten-free recipes. He said something hard to mess up and will keep him full. My sweet potato breakfast hash recipe fits the bill. It’s an easy one-pan meal that is hearty and nourishing. It is ready in 35 minutes and requires the simplest ingredients.
Is Sweet Potato Hash Healthy?
Sweet potato hash is a healthy meal choice. This bacon and egg sweet potato breakfast hash is incredibly energizing and has a wide array of nutrients. It is full of fiber, vitamins, protein, and antioxidants. Unlike many savory breakfasts/brunch meals, it won’t weigh you down or give you a bad case of post-breakfast drowsiness but instead will fuel you sufficiently for the day.
What You Need
As with many one-pan meals, the success of an easy sweet potato breakfast hash is not dependent on a defined set of ingredients. Add and subtract what you can, but here is what I like in mine:
- Sweet potatoes: At the store, pick firm, blemishless, small to medium-sized sweet potatoes. The brighter ones with a uniform color are the freshest. You can buy them in bulk and store them in a cool, dark place in the pantry to use in 2-3 weeks. Ensure they are away from onions or anything in the allium family, as they give off compounds that deteriorate potatoes faster.
- Bacon: We will use bacon for its crisp effect and savory, smoky flavors. It also amplifies the dish’s protein content.
- Eggs: More protein in the diced sweet potato breakfast. I add my eggs Shakshuka style, but I have seen several recipes for making sweet potato breakfast hash topped with a poached egg.
- Other Vegetables: I use shallots, yellow onions or white onions, red bell peppers to add more color to the pan, spinach wilted just enough, and fresh cilantro for garnishing.
- Spices and aromatics: Minced garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, and fresh chili add addictive flavors to the dish. You may use your favorite herbs or spices to jazz it to your tastes.
Ingredient Alternatives
As mentioned earlier, sweet potato breakfast hash is a flexible dish. Some fantastic substitutions for the ingredients listed above are:
- Bacon: Instead of bacon, you can make sweet potato breakfast hash with sausage. Use a spicy beef, pork, or chicken sausage of your choice to heighten the meal’s savory flavors.
- Eggs: Omit the eggs and bacon and use leftover chicken to make sweet potato chicken breakfast hash.
- Spinach: Swap it for kale and ensure it wilts just enough for a nice, crunchy texture.
More Ingredients To Try
The sky is the limit with this dish. Other ingredients that will elevate its flavors and textures are:
- Apples: Core and dice two apples and add to sauteed bacon and onions before adding roasted sweet potatoes.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grate Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the finished sweet potato hash for extra lusciousness.
- Lime/Lemon: A squeeze of lime or lemon juice will brighten the dish. A light dust of zest will also add a bright flavor.
Cooking Equipment
Get these tools for the quick sweet potato breakfast hash recipe:
- A large saute pan with a lid
- A pot
- Strainer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Spatula and slotted spoon
- Paper towels
How To Make Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
After preparing the ingredients, making this delicious sweet potato breakfast hash recipe is straightforward and fun.
- Begin by parboiling the sweet potato cubes in salty water for 5-7 minutes or until they are slightly tender but firm. Do not cook them fully. Remove the potato cubes and rinse under cold water to halt the cooking process. Strain and place on paper towels to dry completely before frying.
- Cook the bacon in the large saute pan over medium heat. Cook until the bacon pieces are golden and crispy, then remove and set aside on paper towels.
- To the same pan, add onions, red bell pepper, and fresh chili. Saute until soft.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the pan. Add the spices and mix to combine. Let the potatoes cook for about 10-15 minutes until crispy and fork-tender.
- Add the bacon back to the pan and stir. Add the spinach and keep stirring until they wilt.
- Make wells in the hash with a spatula and crack an egg into each. Cook the eggs until they are done to your liking. Cover the pan with the lid if you want them cooked all the way through.
- Remove the sweet potato hash from the heat and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and enjoy.
Quick Pro Tip
I love crispy sweet potato hash, but the sad reality is that sweet potatoes don’t crisp on their own or stay crispy. You have to work for crispness, and it begins with the type of potatoes you get. Check that the batch is not waxy. The waxier it is, the less crispy your hash will be. The orange-flesh varieties are the best for a hash because they are drier and starchier. The purple and white varieties are waxy and moist.
For extra crispness, I parboil the potatoes in heavily salted water with a smidge of baking soda, then remove them and dry them completely before shallow frying them in a pan. Parboiling also guarantees well-cooked potatoes; you don’t want your labor of love to result in undercooked insides and burned outsides.
Leftover Storage and Reheating
Sweet potato breakfast hash keeps well and reheats beautifully; you must remove eggs from the leftovers before storing, though.
- Storage: Let the breakfast hash cool completely, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Portion your cool leftover sweet potato breakfast hash in smaller sizes for easier reheating, then put them in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: You can reheat the hash in the microwave or stovetop. To reheat in the microwave, place the hash in a microwave-safe dish and cover with a wet paper towel. Heat on low power and stir occasionally to ensure it is heated through. My favorite method is sauteing the leftover hash in a little oil in the pan over medium heat until warmed through. It brings the hash back to life, especially if you crack fresh eggs in it and garnish it with fresh cilantro or parsley.
Conclusion
Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash is a breakfast/brunch meal that should be made and eaten with love. It is the meal for lazy sleep-in weekends. The best thing about the dish is that you can customize it to suit your taste preferences. You can easily give it a South Western vegan twist by removing the bacon and eggs and topping it with guacamole, pico de gallo, and chipotle cream. The options are endless! Serve the savory sweet potato breakfast hash with a salad, fruits, juice, masala chai, or coffee.
Share your thoughts on the recipe in the comments below. Happy eating!
Other Delicious Breakfast Recipes
Did you love the sweet potato breakfast hash? You will love these too:
Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
Ingredients
- 4 bacon slices cut into ½-inch bite size pieces
- 4 eggs
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and diced into cubes
- 1 large white onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 cups spinach roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 fresh chili finely sliced (optional)
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- A bunch of freshly chopped cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Gather the tools and ingredients for the recipe.
- Peel the sweet potato and dice it into ½-inch cubes. The cubes should fill up at least 4 cups.
- Wash and chop the spinach roughly.
- Wash and dice the bell pepper.
- Peel and dice the onions.
- Wash and chop the cilantro and fresh chili.
Cooking Instructions
- Parboil the sweet potato cubes. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil then add the potatoes and boil for 5-7 minutes until tender but firm.
- Remove the parboiled sweet potato cubes from the heat and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain in a strainer and place on paper towels to dry completely for frying.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute till golden and crispy. Remove and set aside on paper towels.
- Add the onions, red bell pepper, and fresh chili to the bacon fat and saute until soft.
- Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the parboiled sweet potato cubes to the pan. Add the spices and mix to combine. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are crispy and fork tender.
- Add the bacon back to the pan together with the spinach. Stir continuously until the spinach wilts.
- Make 4 wells in the hash and crack an egg into each. Cook the eggs to your liking. Cover the pan with a lid if you want the eggs cooked through.
- Season with salt and black pepper.
- Garnish the hash with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
