As a kid, I didn’t really understand what was it about fries
and eggs that my father loved so much. I may have been as round as a balloon
back then, but I have to say I actually fancied the “healthier” breakfast alternatives.
Oatmeal, boiled eggs, maybe cereal and milk. Nothing fried. I mean, I would eat
the fries, and the fried eggs, but they weren’t particularly enticing to me. Not
to mention, that having potatoes for breakfast rarely crossed my mind.
As a teenager, I went on a high school field trip, a good 2
hours away from us. We stopped at a Burger King for breakfast where I ordered
scramble eggs, pancakes, and hash browns. I took my food to their patio, but I
had to go back in for some ketchup and other condiments. When I returned, I was
utterly surprised to see a Goddamn bird sitting on my hash browns while eating
my pancakes! What the hell! I started cursing, yelling, and throwing ketchup,
salt, and pepper packs to the birds, who’d flown way beyond my reach by then.
In the meanwhile, the rest of the people were looking at me from the inside of
the restaurant, filled with confusion as they tried to understand the strange
ritual that balloon-kid was performing behind the glass wall. Stupid birds.
My little incident didn’t bring me any closer to eating and
fancying hash browns. I did, however, start making them often (in the last few
years) as a quick side dish for dinner. They require minimal prep work and are
done fairly quickly; more importantly, they are delicious, and low in calories,
so making them is a no brainer.
For the recipe I’m sharing today, I went easy and simple;
it’s my peace offering after all the overeating I’ve done this holiday season. I
sautéed the hash browns with a few cloves of garlic to infuse them with that
beautiful garlic flavor; I kept and ate the garlic at the end because I love to
do so. I served my hash with sunny side eggs, no ketchup. I learned the lessons
those birds thought me years ago.
On the road shortcut
Makes 2 servings
484 calories, 40 g carbs, 27 g fat, 21 g protein
2 tablespoon corn oil (divided in half)
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 medium baking potatoes (sliced in ¼ inch sticks)
4 jumbo eggs
Optional: dill to garnish
On a nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of corn oil over
medium-high heat.
Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste (I used
about a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper). When the oil is hot, add the
potatoes and the garlic. Cover and cook until a fork easily goes through the
potatoes (about 15-20 minutes), sautéing every 3-4 minutes to prevent the
potatoes from burning. Remove the potatoes from the pan and save until you are ready
to serve. (Note: I keep the potatoes in the
oven - warming cycle at 170F, but a pre-warmed plate should do. If you don’t
mind your hash browns cooling down, just set them aside on a dish.) Add more
salt and/or pepper if necessary.
Return the frying pan to medium high heat, and add the other
tablespoon of oil. After a minute, add the eggs. Fry them to your liking (I did
sunny side up). Top the hash browns with the fried eggs.
Optional: Garnish with dill.
