Quick Basic Breakfast Skillet

Many recipes for breakfast skillets take about an hour to complete, because they have you adding water to your skillet with the potatoes.  You have to wait a least 40 minutes for your potatoes to cook through.  In the morning, if I’m hungry and hankering for a good old fashioned breakfast skillet, I ain’t got time for that.  The secret?  Nuke the potatoes in the microwave for 6-10 minutes (depending on their size).  This also has the added benefit of being able to brown them, rather than steam them, in the skillet.

Ingredients:

1. 4 slices thick bacon, cut into 1″ pieces
2. 1 small onion, diced
3. Optional:  Bell peppers, mushrooms, whatever veggies you have on hand/feel like using
4. 1 stalk green onion, finely sliced
5. 2 eggs
6. 2-3 potatoes, nuked on HIGH until soft

Instructions:

1. Begin my microwaving the potatoes.  Be sure to prick them all over with a fork so they don’t explode.  Start with 6 minutes, then check them.  If they need more time, flip them over and nuke them for another 6 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, dice up your onions and veggies and set aside
3. Heat a 10 or 12 inch cast iron (or stainless steel) skillet over medium-high heat and add bacon slices.  Fry bacon until nice and crispy; remove with a slotted spoon and reserve on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess grease.  Pour off all but 2-3 tablespoons(ish) bacon fat.  Remove skillet from heat.
4. Dice up your nuked potatoes into 1″ chunks and add them to the pan.  Return skillet to medium heat and fry potatoes in bacon fat until they are golden brown all around.  Try not to move them around too much so they develop a nice crust.  Once browned, remove them from the skillet and set aside.
5. Add the onions and other veggies to the skillet (along with a little more bacon fat, olive oil, or butter if needed) and sauté until soft and onions are translucent, 5-7 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, while veggies are cooking, make eggs in a separate, non-stick pan.  For a breakfast skillet, I like my eggs over-easy and still runny in the middle, but do what you want.
7. Final assembly:  In a medium bowl, add potatoes, followed by sautéed veggies, bacon and fried eggs.  Garnish with green onions and dig in.