Breakfast Pizza

Directions

1. We will begin by making the crust of the Breakfast Pizza. Peel the three potatoes and remove any bad spots as you go. Using a box-grater, shred the potatoes into a mixing bowl, fill with enough water to cover the potatoes and set aside. This process will do two things: it will keep the potatoes from turning brown from oxidation and it also rinses off excess starch from the potatoes, helping to promote browning and crispiness in the final product. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Once the potatoes are shredded and soaking, chop the slices of bacon into two inch squares. In a 12 inch cast-iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet), add a little bit of oil and crisp up the bacon over medium heat. Cook the bacon until it is almost done, but not completely. It will continue cooking in the oven later and if you completely cook it now, it runs the risk of burning or becoming too hard once done. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the bacon from the skillet to a paper-towel-lined plate. Remove the skillet from the heat but do not dump out the bacon fat.

3. Drain the potatoes using a fine mesh strainer (holes in standard colanders are often too big and the potatoes will slide through) and briefly rinse with cold water to remove any lingering starch. Dump the drained potatoes into the center of a clean kitchen towel and bring the corners together, enclosing the potatoes in the middle. Over the sink, squeeze the towel to remove as much moisture from the potatoes as possible. Return the skillet to medium heat and warm up the pan and rendered bacon fat. After waiting a minute or so for the pan to reheat, mix in the potatoes, mustard, onion and garlic powders along with some salt and ground black pepper. Stir to coat the potatoes in the bacon grease and incorporate the spices and then press the potatoes flat in the pan to make an even layer. Place the skillet in the center of the preheated oven and let cook for approximately 30 minutes, rotating the skillet half-way through, until the potatoes are deeply golden brown.

4. While the potatoes are in the oven, it’s a good time to shred the cheese and slice the red onion, or prepare any other toppings that you would like to go on the pizza. Once the potatoes have browned, remove the skillet from the oven and then sprinkle on the toppings. Typically I will add half of the bacon, jalapeños and onions directly on top of the hash browns, then cover the entire dish with the cheese and then add the remainder of the bacon, jalapenos and onions on top of that. All that is left is to add the eggs to the top. While you can crack the eggs directly onto the pizza, I have found that it’s a little easier to crack one egg at a time into a small bowl and then use the bowl to place the eggs on the pizza. This way if a little bit of shell falls into the bowl, you can easily spot it and remove it. It also helps to make placing the eggs on the pizza easier by giving you more control. Space the eggs over the pizza evenly and then sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them. Once done, it’s time to put the skillet back in oven.

5. After about 8 – 10 minutes, the egg whites should be cooked completely and the yolk cooked slightly on the outside but still runny in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Garnish with slivers of green onions or chives and cut into quarters. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the slices from the skillet to individual plates and serve immediately. Tip: crack open the yolks upon taking it out of the oven to keep the carry-over heat from completely cooking the yolks before you have a chance to eat it.