As a child, my dear Uncle Jon absolutely insisted that his food not intermingle. Spaghetti was not to meet meatball. Peanut butter was to have at least a half-inch buffer from jelly. He would not have been a fan of this dish, which takes all the best parts of breakfast and bakes them into one gooey, smoky, delicious bite. Sorry, Uncle Jon. I’ll make you a deconstructed version next time!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cups frozen hash browns
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 8 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup half-and-half
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Coat the inside of a baking dish with the olive oil. Place the hash browns along the bottom of the dish. Lay out the bacon on top of the hash browns, in as much of a single layer as possible—a bit of overlapping is fine. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, or until bacon is browned and crispy.
- While the bacon and potatoes are cooking, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper and, if you are using it, cayenne, until well combined and frothy. Add the cheese and whisk until combined.
- Lower the oven to 350°F. Remove a few pieces of cooked bacon from the dish for topping and carefully redistribute the remaining bacon to evenly cover the potatoes. Give the cheese and eggs a good stir, and pour into the baking dish. Top with the reserved bacon and place back in the oven. Cook for 25–30 minutes, or until the eggs and cheese have browned.
- Serve hot blocks with salsa, or a dash of hot sauce.
