American | Fried Potatoes and Eggs (or Ham)

Posted on November 20, 2015

I've made this recipe several times. I like it because it's easy and tastes good. Also there are several suggestions of herbs and cheese combinations, so it can vary depending on how you make it. My favorite combination is tarragon, Gruyere and parsley.

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

6 ounces red boiling potatoes, (4 small or 2 medium potatoes), rinsed and scrubbed

1/4 cold water

2 teaspoons olive oil

salt, to taste

generous pinch dried herbs or spices (choose from list below)

- oregano

- basil

- Italian herbs

- tarragon

- thyme

- herbs de Provence

- paprika

- ground cumin

3 large eggs (or 2 slices of breakfast ham browned a little)

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup grated or crumbled cheese (choose from list below)

- aged or extra-Sharp Cheddar

- pepper Jack

- feta

- goat cheese

- Gruyere

- aged Swiss

- provolone

- regular or smoked mozzarella

1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (choose from list below)

- basil

- parsley

- cilantro

- dill

 

Method

Dice the potatoes pretty small but not super tiny. (You want them small enough so they fit in a single layer in a nonstick skillet.)

Heat the oil over high heat in a nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes, cook for a minute or two. Add the water, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly, cover, and set the timer for 5 minutes. Let the potatoes cook, stirring once or twice. By the end of 5 minutes, the water should have just evaporated and the potatoes should be barely tender and maybe even have started to brown.

Uncover the potatoes and use a spatula to loosen them from the skillet. Cover again and cook over medium to medium-high heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, 2 to 5 minutes longer. If you using dried herbs/spices, sprinkle over the potatoes now.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. (Or have ham ready.) Pour the eggs (or add ham) over the browned potatoes, strew with the scallion, and scramble until the eggs are just set, maybe a minute or so. Sprinkle the potatoes with cheese and fresh herbs, remove the skillet from the heat, and let stand until cheese melts. (If making with ham, you can speed up the process by leaving on the heat.)

Combos:

Pepper Jack and cilantro

Feta and oregano

Goat cheese and thyme

Extra-sharp Cheddar and fresh dill

Gruyere and tarragon

Provolone and Italian herbs

Swiss and paprika

 

(Ref. "Fried Potatoes and Eggs" recipe, Leitie's Culinaria website.)