Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Savory Mornings With P-Dub

When I think about it, there is only one reason why I would agree to go to IHOP or some other American breakfast joint on a weekend morning. Well, there is the benefit of being lazy and not cooking (not to be underestimated), and also the social "fun" aspect. But for me personally, it's all about the potatoes. Home fries, hash browns, skillet potatoes - whatever name you give them; somehow when you pair those with a fried egg and drizzle some maple syrup over it, it's like a match made in heaven. It's warm, comforting, stick-to-your-ribs-but-most-likely-your-butt, and I love every single calorie in it. In the past, I've tried - unsuccessfully - to make these potatoes at home, but never even got close to that IHOP/diner taste. But recently I gave it another shot, because I believe that much in the power of The Pioneer Woman.PW's Basic Breakfast Potatoes (find her recipe online here or in her new cookbook)
Serves 2-4

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
3-4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 onion, roughly chopped
Half a capsicum, chopped (I used a red one)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp all-purpose flour (optional)
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes whole, till fork tender, but
not falling apart. Then cut them up into 1-2 inch pieces (no need to peel the skin).

2. Next, heat up the oil and butter in a large skillet, on medium heat. Saute the onion and red pepper till softened. Then add in the potatoes. Mix gently with the onions and peppers, then sprinkle generous amounts of salt and pepper over the whole thing (potatoes needs lots of seasoning!).

3. Spread the mixture out in the pan, in one layer and press down lightly. Cook them without stirring for several minutes, to give the potatoes the chance to crisp up on one side. Sprinkle the flour over the top of these, so that when you flip them over, the other side also gets pretty crispy.
Don't get impatient with these! Don't stir these around too much! If you like your potatoes crispy, give them time before you flip them over.

4. Taste as you go for salt and pepper. You can even add a little more butter after the first flip. Cook these potatoes to your desired level of brown-ness and crispiness. Then serve with a garnish of chopped cilantro. Start your weekend morning with these beautiful carbs and you won't regret it!

Verdict: Great recipe; a definite keeper. Eggs and potatoes - they just work. Especially with the caramelized onions and peppers. And how. The only downside, if you see it as such, is that the potatoes do take a bit of time to make. My strategy was to groggily make my way to the kitchen first thing in the morning, put the potatoes to boil, then crawl back into bed for another 20 mins. Sounds irresponsible, but I think I used my 20 mins well! Then by the time I was more properly awake, the potatoes were tender, and I could cheerfully go about making my house smell inviting and warm first thing in the morning.

How my Ozzy spends his weekend mornings. Oh wait, that's every morning for him.

This recipe is going to the next FFPW Breakfast/Brunch theme round-up. There's still time for all you folks to join me. Deadline is Dec 12th.

15 comments:

Foodiewife said...

OH my! This is exactly what I made, LOL. No problemo-- I will try another recipe to post.
I've been too busy to blog, but need to get crackin'!
BTW, this is my favorite type of breakfast-- potatoes and eggs. Beautiful job, Muneeba. Great pics!

Jennifer said...

Beautiful, taters are my favorite also, I love the skillet breakfast they have at my local breakfast place. those look soo yummy!

Cathy said...

Going out for breakfast has always been a highlight for me. I'm a sucker for eggs with runny yolks over hash browns - and if there's some corned beef or smoked salmon in there, even more so!

Mari said...

YUMS I heart Home fries (that might be why I call my niece that lol)

awwww your cat is too cute

Faith said...

Oh my goodness. The potatoes themselves look incredible, but the runny egg takes it to a whole new level of fantastic! I'm having a dinner party on Sunday and my guests actually requested breakfast for dinner...I'll be making this, thanks!

Mona said...

I often make roasted potatoes for breakfast too, along with scrambled eggs. The third pic is so mouth watering!

Unknown said...

Hi Muneeba

I used to go to IHOP with my family for their pancakes, but now we may want to keep in mind that the company has been exposed for food safety issues and animal cruelty in its supply chain. For more details, please check out www.humanesociety.org/ihop.

Just wanted to let you know what is going on at IHOP. Thank you for your time!

Sincerely,

Emily Spivak

Resh said...

There is nothing like some great home made potatoes to accompany eggs for breakfast! i am always looking for new recipes. Thanks Muneeba!

Joanne said...

Potatoes and eggs are my favorite thing to order when I go out for breakfast. It is definitely a trial to make the potatoes at home! At least for me because I have trouble letting anything sit in the pan for long enough that they get crispy. I have this constant desire to stir it up! These look delicious though.

Sushma Mallya said...

Very nice recipe,looks too good muneeba...

Anonymous said...

Mmm.. I haven't had potatoes and eggs for breakfast in a while, sounds wonderful!

RV @ Food for 7 Stages said...

Looks Sumptuous, it makes a perfect breakfast meal

Malar Gandhi said...

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Thanks
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www.kitchentantra.com

nandini.p said...

OMG that oozy egg on potatoes and toast is something to die for. This combination is my all time favourite.

Kim said...

Your potatoes turned out perfectly. The perfect beginning to any day :D