Column and photos by Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary
In need of a simple yet elegant dish to serve to a guest who was arriving for brunch, and not wanting to offer sweet pastries or be left with a panful of leftovers, I created these individual servings of crispy hash brown potatoes, veggies and baked eggs using small ceramic crocks.
The baked hash brown breakfast crocks are delicious on their own, straight out of the oven, but I chose to top them with a bit of plain yogurt and served them with a bowl of blackberries and grapes on the side. My guest enjoyed the meal and we both had a beautiful and healthy start to our day.
Because these are so simple and filling, I plan to make them for dinner for my family very soon and serve them with our favorite salsa. Breakfast for dinner is a fabulous thing!
This recipe will serve two people, so you can double or triple the recipe if you are feeding a number of guests or family. The crocks I used here were each about 4 inches in diameter.
If you are using store-bought frozen hash browns, plan ahead and thaw them in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Baking these crocks using still-frozen potatoes will add to your baking time and cause the outsides to become a bit dry and very crispy while the middle potatoes remain too soft.
