Hashed Brown Omelet
Submitted by Theo
Hash brown omelet with crispy shredded potato crust, bacon, peppers, and melted Swiss. The diner-style skillet breakfast that feeds the whole table from one pan.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
60 minREADY
75 minThis is the diner-counter classic done right: a crispy hash brown crust serves as the bottom of the omelet, then an egg, Swiss cheese, and crumbled bacon layer sets gently on top under a lid. Cut into wedges and everyone gets a piece with proper potato-egg ratio in every bite.
The boil-and-shred technique for the potatoes is the chef move that makes this work. Pre-cooking the potatoes whole until just tender, then chilling and shredding, gives you hash browns that crisp on the outside while staying tender inside. Shredding raw potatoes for this would result in starchy, gummy patches.
Bacon drippings are the cooking fat. Don’t pour them out, those two tablespoons of rendered pork fat are flavor gold and what makes the potato crust taste like a proper diner hash.
Kitchen Tips
- Boil the potatoes the day before and chill overnight, the texture is even better
- Press the shredded potato firmly into the skillet for a unified crust, not loose strands
- Don’t peek too often, lifting the lid drops the temperature and slows the egg setting
- Use a non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron pan, hash browns weld to stainless
- Slide onto a cutting board to cut clean wedges instead of slicing in the pan
Variations
- Swap Swiss cheese for sharp cheddar for a punchier flavor
- Add diced jalapeño and pepper jack for a Southwest spin
- Substitute breakfast sausage for the bacon, using the rendered fat the same way
Ingredients
Directions
In a covered saucepan cook whole potatoes in enough boiling salted water to cover for 20 to 25 minutes or until almost tender.
Drain and chill until cool enough to handle.
Peel potatoes; shred to make 3 cups.
In a 10 inch skillet cook bacon until crisp; drain, reserving 2 tbsp. drippings in skillet.
Crumble bacon; set aside.
Combine potatoes, onion, green pepper, and ½ teaspoon of the salt, put into skillet.
Cook over low heat about 20 minutes or until underside is crisp and brown.
Combine eggs, milk, thyme, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and dash of pepper.
Stir in bacon and cheese; pour over potatoes.
Cover; cook over low heat 8 to 10 minutes or until surface is set but still shiny.
Loosen edges of omelet; cut into wedges.
Comments
