All my favorite breakfast-y things come together for a happy little reunion in this recipe for Skillet Fried Potato Hash with Bacon and Eggs!
My Favorite Skillet Potato Hash Recipe
Growing up, my mom’s seasoned fried potato hash was one of my favorite breakfasts. If I close my eyes right now, I can see Mom at the stove in our kitchen on the farm, that wonderful smell from the skillet wafting over to me.
I remember Mom spending alot of time in the kitchen, yard, and garden. These places were, and still are, her happy places. Where she creates beautiful things – whether it’s fried potatoes, fresh rhubarb pie, homegrown beans, or lovingly grown flowers – and then gifts them to those she loves.
So when I make my own fried potato hash, I can’t help but think of Mom. I hope you like this Skillet Fried Potato Hash with Bacon and Eggs as much as I do!
* This is a sponsored post, created in partnership with the American Egg Board.
I believe in the high-quality protein goodness of eggs. You’ll find me eating eggs for breakfast and/or lunch, at least a few times every single week.
Scrambled, fried, baked, hard-boiled, deviled, poached, pickled, chopped in egg salad, served with a plate of fresh greens…I like ALL of the versatile possibilities. But especially with some fried potatoes!
May is National Egg Month. I’m honored that the American Egg Board has asked me to share a few of the ways I enjoy eggs!
All my favorite breakfast-y things come together for a happy little reunion in this recipe for skillet fried potatoes with bacon and eggs.
It’s a delicious, comforting one-pan wonder!
Recipe Ingredients
This skillet recipe features all the core ingredients of an old-fashioned American breakfast:
- potatoes
- onion
- bacon
- eggs
The only other items you’ll need for this recipe are:
- seasonings: seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s), kosher salt, and black pepper
- cooking fats: oil and butter
And if you like to finish your dishes with a little garnish of fresh color, I recommend including:
- sliced green onions
How to Make this Fried Potato Hash
Making your own homemade hash is easy. Just grab the ingredients and a cast iron skillet and let’s get started!
- Prep potatoes – Place diced raw potatoes in a bowl of salted ice water and let sit for 20 minutes to release starches – this will help them fry up crisp! Rinse in cold water and then drain. Place potatoes on an absorbent towel and dry them extra thoroughly. Moisture is the enemy of crispy fried potatoes!
- Season potatoes – Place potatoes in a bowl and fold with oil, seasoned salt, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Fry potatoes – Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, then add oil and butter. Once hot, spread seasoned potatoes into an even layer in the skillet.
- Have patience! – And by that, I mean to let the potatoes sit without stirring, until the bottoms get golden brown. THEN fold the potatoes for the first time.
- Add bacon and onion – Fold in diced bacon and onion, and resist folding again until potato bottoms get golden again.
- Crack in 4 eggs – Remove all accumulated fat, except for 3 tablespoons. Then make 4 wells in the potato mixture and crack an egg into each well. Fry until whites are set and eggs are cooked to your liking.
- Enjoy! – Remove skillet from heat and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper if desired. Finish with fresh green onion slices (optional). Serve hot!
How to Prevent Potatoes from Sticking to Your Cast Iron Skillet
Scraping off potatoes from the bottom of a skillet is one of the worst jobs on the planet. I detest it!
So here are a few tips to keep potatoes from sticking to your skillet:
- Start with a seasoned skillet – A seasoned cast iron skillet has supernatural non-stick powers. If your skillet has not yet been seasoned or has lost its non-stick power, here’s how to season your cast iron skillet.
- Preheat skillet – Cast iron takes quite a while to heat up properly, longer than you’d expect. So preheat the skillet until it’s thoroughly heated.
- Preheat oil and butter – Then add the oil and butter, and preheat that as well. Once it’s hot and shimmery, you’re good to add the potatoes. Do not add potatoes to cold oil!
- Use a good amount of oil and butter – If you add the oil and butter to the skillet and it doesn’t seem like enough fat for the amount of potatoes you have, then add a little more oil. Too little fat will cause potatoes to stick to the bottom of the skillet.
- Let the potatoes sit, undisturbed – This is the hardest part! The potatoes need to sit completely still in the hot oil long enough to take on a delicious golden brown crust. That crust will allow the potatoes to be movable from the pan.
Tips for the Best Skillet Potato Hash
Beyond my tips for preventing potatoes from sticking, as I just mentioned, here are a few more points to consider when making this fried potato hash with bacon and eggs:
- Choose firm-cooking potatoes. In order to have a fried potato hash with the cubed potatoes still intact (not crumbly and craggly) after cooking, you need to start with a firm, waxy potato – such as red potatoes. This is the exact opposite advice I give to those who want to bake a perfect potato in the oven. For tender, fluffy baked potatoes, I only recommend starchy Russets.
- Cube the potatoes all the same size. This will ensure that they cook evenly. I recommend a 1/2″ size for this hash.
- Use a combination of oil and butter. Butter adds great flavor to fried potatoes. But if you fry in only butter, you’ll likely end up with a smoky kitchen due to the length of frying time needed to achieve crispy potatoes. That’s why I like to use a combination of 2/3 vegetable oil, 1/3 butter.
- Don’t overcrowd the potatoes. Add the potatoes in a single layer to the skillet. This is why I recommend using a large cast iron skillet for this recipe, as there is more surface area for the potatoes. Overcrowding will steam the potatoes and not allow them to get golden brown.
What Goes with Potato Hash?
This potato hash recipe has your meat, potatoes, and eggs all rolled into one dish!
To round out this amazing breakfast, I like to serve fresh fruit and some kind of toasted bread with a shmear of butter. English muffins or a good slice of sourdough are my top choices when it comes to bread. And popovers are also super popular in our house – here’s my regular Popovers recipe and my Sourdough Popovers.
A simple fresh salad is also quite lovely, and a side that I especially appreciate whenever we go out for breakfast. I recommend using some tender greens or peppery arugula, dressed with a bright and tangy vinaigrette. This lends beautiful contrast to the rest of the potatoes hash meal. My Herby Lemon Vinaigrette or Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette would both be excellent choices for a salad dressing.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Of course, this fried hash is going to be its absolute best when eaten piping hot, directly from the skillet.
But if you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
To reheat, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat until thoroughly hot. Then add a bit of oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add the leftover hash. Cook until heated and crisped-up to your liking.
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Skillet Fried Potato Hash with Bacon and Eggs
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs. red or other waxy potatoes about 4 medium-large potatoes, scrubbed a cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 2 T. + 2 tsp. vegetable oil divided
- 1-1/2 tsp. seasoned salt such as Lawry’s
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 T. unsalted butter
- 1 c. diced onion
- 8 oz. bacon trimmed of any large pieces of excess fat, diced into 1/4″ to 1/2″ pieces
- 4 large eggs
- 2 green onions thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Place cubed potatoes in a bowl of salted water with ice, and let sit for 20 minutes to release starches – this will help them fry up crisp! Rinse in cold water and then drain. Place potatoes on an absorbent towel and dry them extra thoroughly. Moisture is the enemy of crispy fried potatoes.
- Place potatoes in a medium bowl and add 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil, plus the seasoned salt, kosher salt, and black pepper. Fold to evenly coat.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet (mine is 12″ in diameter) over medium heat. Once skillet is thoroughly heated, add remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon butter, spreading these across the bottom of the skillet. When vegetable oil and butter are hot and shimmery, add seasoned potatoes, spreading them out into an even layer. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Let potatoes sit, without stirring, until the bottoms get golden brown. Wait at least 5 minutes to start peeking at the undersides of potatoes, to judge how much longer they need to cook. Aim for a deep golden crust. This step can take awhile, up to 10 to 15 minutes more.
- Once potatoes are golden on the bottom, fold them. Then add bacon and onion. Fold again to incorporate. Resist stirring for awhile to let the potatoes get golden again.
- Once potatoes are soft in the centers and bacon is cooked to a chewy texture, tilt skillet and remove excessive fat. Leave 2 tablespoons of pooled fat, as this will help the eggs cook. Fold mixture and then quickly make four wells in it and crack an egg into each well. Fry until whites are set and eggs are cooked to your liking. Covering the pan will help cook the eggs faster, but you may lose some crispness in the potatoes.
- Remove skillet from heat. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper if desired, plus green onion slices. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
For more information about the American Egg Board, including recipes and nutritional information, visit their website. Also find them on these social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
This post is sponsored by the American Egg Board. I am honored to be partnering with them this month during National Egg Month. All opinions are 100% my own, as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make this site possible!