Potato and Sausage Skillet with Baked Eggs

This past weekend, I did a whole lot of “using up what’s in the fridge”. I didn’t have a neatly laid out meal plan for Saturday and Sunday, but I did have a relatively full fridge – leftover bits of produce used in other recipes during the week, an ounce or two of a block of cheese I didn’t quite finish up, things like that. Luckily, all those things that were left behind after the week’s meals resulted in a few really delicious dishes – beginning with a potato and sausage hash with baked eggs!

Potato and Sausage Skillet with Baked Eggs
serves 4

olive oil
8oz red potatoes, cut into a 1/2″ dice
half a bell pepper, any color, 1/2″ dice
half a red onion, 1/2″ dice
8oz italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
kosher salt
black pepper
2oz white cheddar cheese, grated
4 eggs
fresh flat leaf parsley

Optional toppings:
halved cherry tomatoes
diced avocado
greek yogurt or sour cream

1.) Start by placing a large (oven proof, preferably cast iron) skill over medium heat. Add about a tablespoon and a half of olive oil to the pan, and let it get nice and hot. When the pan and oil are hot, add the potatoes, and spread them into a single layer in the pan. (Pro tip: the oil will be very, very hot – so, if you just toss the potatoes into the pan all willy-nilly? The oil WILL splash up on you and burn your forearms. Be gentle, if you care to keep the skin you have.)

2.) Allow the potatoes to cook for a good three minutes or so – they should be nice and brown (and release easily from the pan) before you start flipping them. Continue flipping them every few minutes until they’re golden brown, and ALMOST cooked through; they should still have a bit of bite to them, so they don’t end up overcooking in the oven. Sprinkle them with a generous pinch each of kosher salt and pepper.

3.) Remove the potatoes to a paper towel-lined plate. Add a touch more oil to the pan if needed, and add the bell pepper and onion to the pan. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, and saute for a couple minutes, until the vegetables are starting to brown and soften.

4.) Preheat your oven to 375°. Push the vegetables to the side of the skillet, and add your sausage. Cook the sausage, crumbling it with a wooden spoon, until it’s browned and cooked through.

5.) Partially drain the can of diced tomatoes and chiles; you want a bit of liquid in there, to help deglaze the pan. Pour the tomatoes and what’s left of their liquid into the skillet, and use your wooden spoon to scrape up any delicious browned bits from the bottom. Add the potatoes back to the pan, stir everything together, and season with a touch more salt and pepper, the garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.

6.) Sprinkle half the grated cheddar over the hash. Use the back of your wooden spoon to create four small indentations in the hash; crack one egg into each indentation, and then sprinkle the remaining cheddar over the top.

7.) Place the skillet into the oven, and allow the hash to cook until the whites of the eggs are set, about 10 minutes. If you prefer a non-runny yolk, you’ll want to leave the skillet in the oven for 15-17 minutes.

8.) Remove the skillet from the oven; sprinkle with some chopped parsley, then roughly section the hash into 4 wedges (one egg in each), and serve with toppings of your choice.

What a delicious and filling breakfast! My husband and I both really enjoyed this dish – and it’s incredibly versatile. I happened to have some leftover turkey Italian sausage from making this pasta on Friday, so I used that – but you could use pork sausage, ground beef, or even some already cooked chicken sausages, diced. The vegetables can be switched up however you want – a different color bell pepper, a white or yellow onion, some leftover roasted brussels sprouts, etc. I will say, I inadvertently overcooked my eggs – but even without the runny egg yolk to coat the potatoes and vegetables, the whole thing was incredibly tasty.

This would make a great brunch dish for guests, as you could easily chop and prep all the vegetables ahead of time, to minimize active cooking time. Use slightly larger amounts of each ingredient, a few more eggs, and a bigger skillet, and you would easily have enough for 6 or 8 people. You could even make it vegetarian, by using a meat substitute in place of the sausage (or no meat at all)!

Some of my best ideas come from the saddest, loneliest items that got lost in the back of the fridge,
Tina

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cinnamon french toast casserole.

Our nights have been a little… long. I guess having a newborn will do that to you, but we haven’t had a proper weekend morning in over a month. I decided this past weekend that this would change, and I’d make a casserole Saturday night for baking on Sunday morning. If we had to eat our brunch at 2 in the afternoon, then so be it. As it was, the stars aligned and we had brunch mid-morning like normal folks!

Make this. Immediately.

Cinnamon French Toast Casserole.
via Pioneer Woman (who else?)

FOR THE FRENCH TOAST:
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
3/4 cups Sugar
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract

FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces

Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Tear the loaf of bread into pieces and layer in the pan.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. Whisk until combined and smooth. Pour over the bread evenly, and cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight.

In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter, until the mixture resembles fine pebbles (or large rocks, as I did because I did not have a pastry cutter). Cover bowl and refrigerate til morning.

When you’re ready for breakfast, preheat the oven to 350. Uncover the casserole and evenly spread the topping over the soaked bread. Bake anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour – depending on whether you want it to be more like a bread pudding, or a firmer texture.

Top with syrup, or fruit, or just enjoy plain.

Tina will be relieved to not fry individual french toasts for me on her next visit,
jcristg

Jalapeño Corn Fritters

Summer corn is still going strong – and I’m still working on coming up with ways to use it! I’ve been thinking about these fritters for a while, but I kept forgetting to buy jalapeños! Luckily, the urge to make them struck me while I was in the grocery store on Friday, so I was able to get in the kitchen and make them happen over the weekend.

I prefer my fritters to be light on the batter, heavy on the vegetable or filling – so that’s exactly what these are. Tons of sweet, fresh corn (studded with tiny bits of jalapeño), and just enough batter to hold them together.

Jalapeño Corn Fritters
makes about eight 4″ fritters

4 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cob
1 large jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 egg
3 T milk
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
olive oil
butter

1.) In a medium bowl, mix together the corn and minced jalapeño; pour in the egg and milk, and stir to combine.

2.) In a small bowl, whisk together the baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, the flour, and the cornmeal. Pour the flour mixture over the corn and jalapeño, and use a spoon to combine everything, until it all just comes together.

3.) Place a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon each olive oil and butter to the pan. Once the pan is hot, drop heaping spoonfuls of the corn fritter batter into the pan, and flatten them with the back of the spoon. You should be able to fit three or four fritters in the pan, so you’ll need to cook them in 2 or 3 batches (add a bit more oil and butter in between batches if needed).

4.) Let the fritters cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, until they’re nice and golden brown. They’re a little tricky to flip – but if you use a thin, flexible spatula, make sure to get it all the way under the fritter, and flip quickly, you’ll be fine. Allow them to cook for about 90 seconds on the second side, until golden brown, and then remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain briefly. While they’re still hot, sprinkle with a touch more salt.

These fritters were really fantastic. Golden brown, a touch salty, a little spicy, and full of sweet, crisp corn. I will make them again and again, until the summer corn runs out! And even then, I might break out some frozen corn for a mid-winter fix. I served them with a roasted tomato aioli (recipe coming later this week), which was AWESOME. The aioli was smokey and creamy, which was a great complement to the sweet, crispy fritters. Two thumbs WAY up.

For the record, these would make an excellent appetizer – just make them smaller, and keep them warm in a 200° oven on a baking rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. You could top them with sour cream, instead of the aioli I used. You could also serve them for brunch – top a couple fritters with some aioli and a poached egg, and you’d be all set!

Is it Friday yet?
Tina

Blueberry Compote

As I mentioned before, I prefer not to disturb the perfection of cheesecake with any kind of topping. However, I know that I’m probably in the minority on that one – so, last weekend, when it came time for round two of cheesecake, I decided to dress it up with a blueberry compote. A little bit tart, a little bit sweet – great for topping cheesecake, pound cake, ice cream, or anything else you can come up with!

Blueberry Compote
makes about a cup and a half

12 oz fresh blueberries, divided
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
zest of one orange
juice of one orange

1.) In a small pot, combine about 8 ounces of blueberries, the sugar, water, zest, and orange juice. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Watch the mixture CAREFULLY – it will boil over and make a huge mess if you’re not careful! If it looks like the bubbles are rapidly making their way up the sides of the pot, just turn the burner off for a minute to allow it to cool and settle down, then turn the heat back on.

2.) Allow the mixture to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The berries will burst, and the mixture will slowly reduce and thicken. Once it has thickened enough to coat your spatula or spoon, pour in the last 4 ounces of blueberries, and stir them in to the compote.

3.) Let the mixture continue to reduce for another 15 minutes or so. Remove from the heat; as it cools, it will thicken to a jam-like texture.

This compote is delicious warm, cold, or at room temp. Spoon it over your dessert, on top of yogurt, or on to pancakes… or just eat it straight from the bowl. Whatever floats your boat!