Baked Eggs with a Crispy Hash Brown Crust

I had been procrastinating on seasoning my new cast iron skillets until I saw this pin. I was sitting around, trying to figure out what I was going to make DS and I for dinner when I stumbled across this gem. Man, I love breakfast for dinner, don't you? :) It was originally posted here on Two Tarts' page. I've made it a couple different times now, and love it.

I give this recipe a 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

The original recipe calls for:

Not my picture. The next time I make it, I will take my own.

• 1 1/2-2 c shredded potatoes (it calls for red, I used regular old baking potatoes.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt (I have a sea salt grinder, so I estimate. I also like some extra salt on my potatoes.)
• 6 eggs (I used 4. It was, after all, only me and DS.)
• 3/4 C shredded cheese (I have used both sharp cheddar and a Mexican blend.)
• 2 T olive oil for your cast iron. (I used less than this.)

The first time I made this, I hand grated my potatoes, leaving the skin on. (I leave the skin on in my mashed potatoes, too. I just love it.) The second time, I had a bag of pre-shredded hash browns on hand, so I thawed it out and used that. Regardless which you use, make sure to squeeze out the extra moisture. 

Heat up your cast iron on about medium high with the olive oil. After you've squeezed out as much of the extra liquid from the potatoes as is humanly possible (no really. It totally makes a difference) stir them together with the salt. The original recipe says to salt first; I didn't. Then press the potatoes into the bottom of the skillet using a spoon, covering the bottom completely, but not going up the sides. Think more pancake, less pie crust. You really want to pack it all together so it's easy to flip later. I've discovered that I like to use a little less potato for a thinner, crispier crust. That's how I like my regular hash browns, too, though. You'll have to experiment to see which way you like it better.

Let your little potato pancake cook, undisturbed (which, admittedly, is the hardest part for me. I am constantly scraping up the edges and checking stuff...) for 4 minutes. Again, though, it depends on how crispy you like your potato to be. When everything looks golden brown and delicious, use a spatula to flip the whole thing over (I have yet to get it in one piece...). The thinner your potato, the easier it is to flip. So if you like a thick, sort of soft hash brown, keep that in mind. Also, if you don't like a very crispy one, the potato will not have stuck together much, making this more difficult. Once flipped, let it cook an additional 3-4 min on that side.

When both sides are brown, remove from the heat and crack your eggs on top. I seasoned the eggs with salt and pepper. Then cover with the cheese. Turn your oven to broil. Once your flame is going, pop your skillet directly underneath, about 4 or 5 inches below the flame, or on the second rack position. Let it broil about 5-7 min, depending on how well done you want your eggs. I left mine in somewhere between that so they were just less than over medium. You could also scramble the eggs. I would do the full 7 min and check to make sure they were cooked all the way through. Then, let cool about 5 min so that the cheese and egg have a chance to set. Finally, cut into slices and serve. 

One other things to note is your skillet size. I've done this in 12" and 10" skillets. Since I don't use as many eggs, I found it easier to do in the 10", but I also then had to scale down the potatoes even more. I totally left the same amount of cheese, though. Who doesn't love a little extra cheese??? :)