Breakfast Hash with Pancetta

Hello! Welcome to Djalali Cooks. A Breakfast Hash is an easy way to serve up a complete breakfast for two or four in one pan. Instead of bacon, we are using pancetta; which, in my opinion, is an easier way to add bacon flavor to this hash, since often you can find the Pancetta already diced. The only real prep is dicing the potatoes. We will brown the pancetta, and then brown the potatoes right in the pan drippings. Easy peasy. Let’s get to the recipe!

Breakfast Hash

Little yellow potatoes, or red potatoes are great in this recipe because they will keep their diced shape and their creamy interiors through cooking. A few scallions for color and fresh onion flavor, pancetta, cheddar cheese and eggs. Simple and delicious!

Pancetta

Use a little drizzle of grapeseed oil to get the pancetta going in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. We want to brown the pancetta slowly because it can get away from you pretty quickly and we just want a light, even browning. If we let the pancetta go slow, we can simultaneously get started on dicing the potatoes. Just be sure to check and stir the pancetta often.

Potatoes

Once browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Leave the pan drippings in the skillet and add the diced potatoes. I used about 3/4 of the 1.5 pound bag of little potatoes. Increase the heat to medium and add a generous pinch of Kosher salt, a shake of paprika, dried thyme and dried oregano to the potatoes in the pan. Stir in the spices and adjust the heat as necessary to maintain an even sizzle and cover the pan. The steam will help cook the potatoes faster.

Check the potatoes and stir them every 3-5 minutes or so, to ensure an even browning. After about 10 minutes check for doneness. They are ready when fork tender. 15 minutes, covered, should be enough time for them to be fork tender. Then add all but a small handful of the greens onions. The remaining green onions will top the finished Breakfast Hash. Taste and season with more Kosher salt and now add cracked black pepper. Add a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the hash.

Eggs

Make 4 wells in the hash. Crack one egg into each well. Sprinkle the pancetta over the whole hash.

Adjust the heat to low and cover the pan. Check for doneness every 3 minutes. We are looking for the whites to be just set. There will be some carry-over cooking of the whites. So when they are just set, turn off the heat and leave the lid on for a 1-3 more minutes. If you want more well-done yolks, just let it go on low a few more minutes at a time between checks for desired doneness.

Unfortunately, when I did my doneness check after about 6 minutes, I noticed one of my yolks broke. Heartbreaking. But I am not one to cry over a broken yolk. So we press on with one egg that will be well-done.

Breakfast Hash!

Top with the remaining green onion slices and more fresh cracked pepper. The cheese is melted in to the potatoes and because we added the cheese before the eggs, some of the cheese found its way to the bottom of the skillet where we created the egg wells, and this cheese gets toasted and a little crunchy, which I really love. If you want the cheese to be on top, just sprinkle it on after you crack the eggs into their wells.

Serve a big scoop of the Breakfast Hash with an egg and serve with hot sauce, if you like. This is a super easy, one-pan dish to whip up for breakfast any day of the week. I hope you give this one a try, it’s really flavorful with all kinds of texture and richness. If breakfast is your jam but you want something even easier, try my Perfect Breakfast Sandwich. You can find all the Djalali Cooks recipes, past and present, on Pinterest – for quick and easy reference. Take care and be well, everyone. xo Kelly

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Breakfast Hash with Pancetta

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Breakfast, Brunch – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes – Cooking Time: ~25 Minutes – Total Time: ~35 Minutes

Crispy, creamy potatoes with melty cheese and crunchy pancetta. Fresh green onion and of course, eggs! This easy one pan hash ticks all the boxes.

Ingredients

• Drizzle of Grapeseed Oil
• 4-6 oz. Pancetta, diced
• 1.25 lbs. Yellow or Red Baby Potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 tsp. Paprika, more to taste
• 1 tsp. Dried Oregano, more to taste
• 1 tsp. Dried Thyme, more to taste
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Scallions, thinly sliced, divided
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
• 4 Large Eggs

Instructions

1

Use a little drizzle of grapeseed oil to get the pancetta going in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

2

Brown gently for about 5 minutes, until the pancetta is evenly browned.

3

Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

4

Add the diced potatoes to the pan drippings in the skillet and increase heat to medium. Season with Kosher salt, thyme, oregano, paprika, and pepper. Cover the skillet.

5

Stir the potatoes every few minutes and check for doneness a the 10 minute mark. Potatoes should be golden and fork tender at 15 minutes.

6

Add 3/4 of the sliced green onions and stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, etc. if needed.

7

Add a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

8

Sprinkle grated cheese over potatoes and onions.

9

Create 4 wells in the hash and crack one egg in each well.

10

Sprinkle the browned pancetta over the eggs and potatoes.

11

Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook, checking for doneness every 3 minutes until egg whites are just set. Turn off heat and leave covered for an additional 1-3 minutes, until eggs reach desired doneness.

12

Top with remaining sliced green onions and more black pepper, if desired.

13

Serve!