Grilled Loaded Breakfast Skillet

Thirty-eight weeks. The OB scheduled an induction date as a backup for forty-one weeks if the baby doesn’t come spontaneously by then. The hope is that labor starts on its own in the next two to three weeks. The medical caution is that going past forty-one weeks raises various risks slightly enough that the OB prefers to have the induction option on the calendar. The car seat has been formally inspected and installed. The bassinet is set up next to our bed in the small second bedroom (which is the baby’s room except that the baby will be sleeping in our room for the first three months per the OB’s recommendation).

Sunday I made grilled loaded breakfast skillet because Dustin had been wanting a hearty Sunday breakfast and the format is the right kind of one-pan-feed-two-people morning meal that doesn’t require me to stand at the stove for very long. Loaded breakfast skillet is the kind of dish that lives at diner counters across America — everything in one pan, savory and substantial, served from the pan with a fork.

The technique: in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium heat, brown a half-pound of bulk breakfast sausage for ten minutes until the fat has rendered. Add one diced yellow onion, one diced red bell pepper, and four cloves of garlic minced; cook six minutes until softened.

Two cups of frozen hash browns added with the sausage and vegetables; cook eight minutes, pressing down with a spatula every few minutes, until the hash browns are deeply golden and crispy.

Make four wells in the hash brown surface with the back of a spoon. Crack one egg into each well. Sprinkle a generous cup of shredded sharp cheddar over the entire skillet.

Transfer the skillet to a four-fifty broiler for three to four minutes until the eggs are set with runny yolks and the cheese has melted and bubbled.

Off the heat, top with sliced scallions, fresh chopped parsley, and a generous turn of black pepper. Served from the skillet at the table with a fork. Dustin had two of the four eggs and most of the hash browns. The dish reads as exactly the kind of one-pan Sunday breakfast he’d been wanting.

Cast iron, hash browns crispy first, eggs in wells, cheese, broiler three minutes. Here’s the build.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb baby red potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
6 large eggs
6 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh chives or green onion, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Parboil the potatoes. Place diced potatoes in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes until just barely fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
Cook the bacon. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat (or use an outdoor grill with a grill-safe skillet). Add chopped bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 5–6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
Crisp the potatoes. Add olive oil to the skillet with the drippings. Add the parboiled potatoes in a single layer. Season with smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook without stirring for 4–5 minutes until a golden crust forms, then flip and cook another 3 minutes.
Add the vegetables. Push potatoes to the edges of the skillet. Add the diced peppers and onion to the center. Sauté for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly charred. Stir everything together.
Add the eggs. Create 6 small wells in the skillet mixture. Crack one egg into each well. Season egg tops lightly with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil and cook for 4–6 minutes, until whites are set but yolks are still slightly runny (or cook to your preferred doneness).
Finish and serve. Scatter the cooked bacon over the top, then sprinkle with shredded cheddar. Cover for 1 minute to melt the cheese. Garnish with fresh chives and serve directly from the skillet.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Loaded Breakfast Skillet