Sometimes there’s nothing like breakfast for dinner. Once in a while, it just hits the spot. When I came across a recipe for Sheepherder’s Breakfast in the cookbook Taste of Home’s Contest Winning Annual Recipes for 2006, it brought back my “breakfast for dinner” memories of powering through college homework late into the night at the University of Nevada, Reno. Sometimes before the all-night cramming sessions, a group of us would head to Gardnerville–about an hour south of Reno–to fortify ourselves at a Basque restaurant on a meal of baked eggs, chorizo and potatoes. It was very similar to the Taste of Home award winning recipe except that the Basque dish was baked in the oven in a cast iron skillet and Basque chorizo (or sometimes cured ham) replaced the bacon. It was soulful and comforting and satisfying and filling. Could you ask for anything more if you’re hungering for hearty meal? Sheepherder’s Breakfast, with all of its variations, is a popular dish here in the Southwest, too. Of course, fresh roasted or canned chiles are often added to a skillet dish like this one. Now with so many popular varieties of bacon on the market like peppered bacon, apple wood smoked bacon and the thicker sliced slab type, this variation on the Sheepherder’s Breakfast for Dinner will be tastier than ever morning or night. If you choose breakfast in bed for Dad, this might just be the perfectly delicious kick start to Father’s Day!
| Servings |
- 8 slices bacon strips, cooked and cut into small pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 1 16 ounce package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
- 5-6 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
- 1/4 cup diced green chiles (optional)
- toast or fresh tortillas for sides (optional)
Ingredients
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- In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, keeping bacon grease in skillet, and chop into pieces. Cook onion in bacon grease over medium heat until golden brown. (If too much grease, remove all but ¼ cup before cooking onion.) Add chopped bacon back into sautéed onion and mix well. Stir in hash browns. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until bottom is golden brown. Turn potatoes and cook the other side until golden brown. With the back of a spoon, make 5-6 evenly spaced wells, fairly deep, in hash brown mixture. Carefully break one egg into each well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, covered, on low for about 8-10 minutes or until eggs are set and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese and green chiles. Cover and allow cheese to melt. Serving size, 5 or 6. Serve with toast or fresh tortillas.
