Easy Hash Browns With Baked Eggs and Glazed Bacon

I am an absolute LOVER of breakfast food. I can have breakfast any time of the day or night. I remember watching The Notebook and Noah’s dad asking Allie if she was up for breakfast at the ungodly hour she had paid Noah a surprise visit. Yeah, right, that’s my kind of human. I would be elated if you offered me this delicious and easy hash browns recipe any time. It is simple yet tasty. The resulting huge flavors make you appreciate the versatility of potatoes and their ability to shine with just a little effort. Best yet, you can customize the recipe with various toppings and spices to create a specific flavor profile.

What You Need

Hash browns will taste fantastic with various toppings or mix-ins. The best hash browns are as good as your imagination. Here is how I like mine:

• Potatoes: Russet potatoes are the best for hash browns because they fry up crisp and golden, thanks to their high-starch content that makes them fluffy. You are probably wondering which ones are the Russets. They are the most available potatoes with large, thick, dark brown skins. You are likely to find them at your nearest grocery store. I wouldn’t use red potatoes because they are waxier and need work for a good crisp.
• Onions: I use a large white onion for a rich, sweet onion flavor. You may use yellow onions or shallots if you have the patience to shred as many as are enough for the dish (about 3).
• Eggs: Chicken, duck, turkey, or even ostrich eggs will do. Put as many as the people you are sharing the hash browns with. 
• Bacon: The crispy, smoky, sweet-savory flavors of bacon make the dish worthwhile. Plus, come to think of it, gym goers have all the protein they require from their breakfast meal if they count their eggs right.
• Brown sugar: For glazing the bacon so we can give the dish a sweet American twist.
• Spices: I don’t go overboard with the spices. Cayenne does it for me. You can add anything you like to personalize the hash browns flavor profile.

Ingredient Alternatives

Bacon and eggs are the classic toppings for an easy hash browns recipe. You can make yours more interesting by swapping them for other toppings:

• Bacon: Instead of bacon, you can make hash browns and sausage or hash browns and ground beef.
• Onions: Omit the onion and garnish the finished hash brown and egg dish with finely chopped green onions. 

More Ingredients To Try

One more ingredient wouldn’t hurt:

• Cheese: Grate parmesan on top of the eggs before baking them in the oven for extra lusciousness. You will end up with something close to hash browns, eggs-cheese casserole.
• Fresh chili: If you love a good kick of heat, finely slice fresh green chilis and sprinkle over the eggs before popping the dish in the oven.
• Vegetables: For extra flavor and texture, add sauteed mushrooms, caramelized bell peppers, or onions.
• Guacamole, salsa, or pico de gallo: Any of these will give the hash browns a Southern-style twist. The guacamole will add creaminess, the salsa freshness, and the pico de gallo zestiness.
• Fresh herbs: Chives, parsley, or cilantro will add freshness and a herbaceous flavor. 

Cooking Equipment

You need these tools for the recipe:

• A medium oven-safe pan
• A plate larger or the same as the oven-safe pan
• A non-stick saute pan
• A box grater or food processor
• Measuring spoons
• A rubber spatula
• A cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel

How To Make Hash Browns: Complete Guide

This is the best way to make hash browns from scratch:

1. Grate the potatoes: Use a box grater or a food processor.
2. Grate the onion: Use the grater size you used for the potatoes. Grating the onions allows a nice balance of onion flavor to run through the hash browns without messing with the texture.
3. Mix the grated onions with the potatoes.
4. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the shredded potatoes-onion mixture through a cheesecloth or paper towel. The more moisture you remove from the mixture, the crisper the hash will be.
5. Drizzle olive oil over the hash browns mixture and season with salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly.
6. Cook the hash browns in a hot oven-safe pan over medium heat. Add olive oil to the hot pan. Add the hash browns, spread them with a rubber spatula, and pat the sides down. Add knobs of butter on the sides of the hash brown and leave to cook before flipping. The butter caramelizes the onions. 
7. Flip the hash browns with the help of a plate. Cover the pan with a plate larger or the same size as it, remove it from the heat, and flip it upside down. Slide the half-cooked hash browns from the plate back into the pan and return it to the heat to cook the other side.
8. Crack eggs on top of the hash browns, then season with cayenne pepper or black pepper and salt. Bake the eggs in the oven for 10 minutes. 
9. In the meantime, glaze the bacon in a nonstick sauteing pan. Add a little olive oil and butter, brown sugar, salt, and peppers to the hot pan. Add the bacon slices and cook until golden brown and irresistibly caramelized. Remove and set aside.
10. Remove the hash browns with baked eggs from the oven. Layer the glazed bacon slices over it and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Pro Tips for Cooking Crispy Hash Browns

Four crucial things to keep in mind when cooking hash browns are;

• Rinsing the grated potatoes to wash off the starch like you do with rice. If you fail to remove a substantial amount of starch the hash browns will be sticky.
• Secondly, drain or squeeze as much water as possible. The excess water absorbs all the heat from the pan, which is meant to give your hash browns a beautiful, crisp texture and brown color.
• Don’t mess with the hash browns once you have them in the frying pan. Cook them for 4-5 minutes before flipping.
• Use a generous amount of oil in the pan for perfect browning.

Meal Prep Hash Browns

While I prefer to make my hash browns from scratch, meal-prepping them for an easy Sunday morning is a fantastic idea, especially if you will be juggling 5 other breakfast items. You may also use the par-cooked frozen ones from the store. They have less moisture, which means less cook time overall. Read the ingredients list to check for additives that prevent oxidation. They affect perfect crisping and browning, which are the primary characteristics of great hash browns. I enjoy making my food from scratch, and if you are like me, here is how to meal prep hash browns for future cooking:

1. Peel and grate potatoes with a box grater or food processor. 
2. Peel and grate an onion or onions with the same grater.
3. Rinse the potatoes in cold water to get rid of excess starch. You can rinse in a lemon-water solution to prevent oxidizing.
4. Mix the rinsed potatoes with the grated onions.
5. Use a cheesecloth or kitchen towel to drain as much moisture from the mixture as possible.
6. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne or any spices of your liking.
7. Par-cook the hash browns in a little oil in a pan over medium heat. Spread the potato-onion mixture on the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft but not crispy.
8. Remove the par-cooked hash browns from the heat and leave to cool completely.
9. Portion the hash browns and transfer them to freezer-safe bags.
10. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Leftover Storage and Reheating

Leftover hash browns store and reheat well; you can repurpose yours deliciously. Sometimes, I get creative and use my leftovers to make a hash brown breakfast casserole or a loaded hash brown bowl with salsa, avocado, and beans.

• Storage: Cool the leftover hash browns to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. A resealable plastic bag will also do; just ensure you squeeze out as much air as possible.
• Freezing: Transfer the cooled leftover hash browns to a freezer-safe container and freeze to store them longer. They will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 months.
• Reheating: Hash browns reheat well in the oven, microwave, and stovetop. Spread the leftovers on a baking sheet and reheat at 375°F (190°C). This is also (in my opinion) the best way to cook frozen hash browns. It is slow but sure to yield crispy results. To reheat on the stovetop, add the hash browns to a hot pan with oil and cook over medium heat on each side until warm and crispy. The microwave is the quickest method, but I do not recommend it because it makes the hash browns soggy. If you have to use the microwave, place the leftover hash browns on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Heat them in short intervals so you can keep checking the progress.

Conclusion

Many people struggle with making the perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside hash browns because of all the variations and recipe ideas available. The endless options are daunting. My simple hash browns method won’t fail you. It is straightforward and yields the best crispy texture. Plus, you can substitute the glazed bacon and baked eggs with your favorite toppings and mix-ins. 

More Breakfast Recipes To Try

Need more fun hert breakfast ideas? Check these out:

• Shakshuka (The North African Way)
• Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash