Breakfast Recipe – The Breakfast Heap

Breakfast Recipe – The Breakfast Heap

When we lived in Atlanta we loved going to breakfast on the weekends at a sweet little cafe near our house.  They served the ultimate comfort food.  Gigantic waffles covered in whipped cream, omelets as big a a dinner plate, and our favorite, “the Heap”.  The Heap was a perfect concoction of fried potato chunks mixed with a variety of vegetables, onions, cheese, meats, and then topped with eggs and served sizzling hot in a little cast iron skillet.  One of those for breakfast and I was done for the rest of the day.

We don’t live in Atlanta anymore, and our breakfast excursions are few and far between now that we have two rambunctious kids in tow.  But just because we don’t go out much doesn’t mean breakfast can’t be an event. So with that in mind I decided to recreate a lighter version of our much beloved Heap last weekend.  It was everything I’d hoped.  Just like the original but without an inch and a half of grease in the bottom of the pan.

This dish is so hearty, it’s the perfect option for all you Breakfast-for-Dinner fanatics out there.  It goes without saying that there are an infinite number of ways you could change this recipe to use what you have on hand.  The restaurant where we used to order it had a Southwestern version, a Greek version, and a vegetarian version on the menu.  I kept this one classic with just veggies, organic sausage links, and scrambled eggs.  To get the crispy, crunchy texture on the potatoes you really need to use a cast iron skillet.  I highly recommend investing the 20 bucks to get a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet if you don’t already have one.  Not only are they inexpensive, but there’s no chemical coating on them to leach into your food, they last forever, and their versatility can’t be beat.

The Breakfast Heap – Breakfast Recipe
serves 4

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 -6 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup mild onion, diced
1 medium green or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
10 sausage links, such as Jones Dairy Farm, thawed and chopped into small pieces
8 large eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper, optional

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Add potatoes and cook, stirring and turning over occasionally, for about 5 minutes.  Add the onion and continue cooking until the onion is softened and the potatoes are crispy on the outside and softened on the inside, about 4 more minutes.   Add the peppers and cook 2 minutes. Add the sausage pieces to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes, until heated through.

Move potato mixture to the outside edges of the pan.  Add the beaten eggs to the center of the pan.  Wait until the bottom of the eggs begins to set, then scramble lightly.  Season with salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper if using.  Divide among four plates and serve.

You may also like:

1. Breakfast for Dinner – Chorizo and Potato Frittata
2. Chewy, Fruity Breakfast Bars – gluten and sugar free
3. Berry Breakfast Bake
4. Chocolate Banana Breakfast Cookies
5. Harvest Spice Breakfast Cookies