Potato Parmesan Breakfast Scramble

I love a hot breakfast. This recipe for Potato Parmesan Breakfast Scramble always hits the spot. It’s a sped up version of a full breakfast scramble that doesn’t sacrifice any of the flavor of meatier versions.

Thanks to parboiling, the potatoes in this recipe get nice and crisp in the skillet. If you know you’re going to be in a hurry in the morning, you can parboil your potatoes the night before and store them in the fridge until you’re ready for your scramble the next morning. In fact, if you have leftover baked or boiled potatoes they might be a good fit for this recipe rather than using the parboil method. Potatoes that have at least been partially pre-cooked always do better when fried. If you do use leftover potatoes, however, be sure they aren’t already overcooked as they can fall apart and turn into mash when you try to fry them.

Most scrambles involve scrambled eggs. I like this recipe because it leaves the eggs semi-unscrambled and to me that makes the eggs a more substantial part of the dish. By cracking the eggs over top of the cooked potatoes and allowing them to steam for a minute, you get the separate tastes of textures of both egg yolk and egg white. It’s a feature of the dish to me.

I make this recipe with a variety of fresh herbs. There’s nothing like a fresh herb aroma to wake up the simple, delicious flavors of potatoes and eggs. I’ve tried everything from chives to basil to tarragon, and they’re all delicious. Try mixing if you have access to several different kinds. Dry herbs are probably not a good substitute as they would likely end up dry and woody.

Potato Parmesan Breakfast Scramble

5 from 2 votes

Recipe by Carmen Course: Breakfast

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs 2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

• 4 4 Eggs, large

• 2 oz 2 Parmesan, fresh grated

• 2 tablespoons 2 Italian flat leaf parsley, fresh, fine mince

• 2 tablespoons 2 Vegetable or canola oil

• Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• Place quartered Yukon gold potatoes in medium saucepan. Cover with cold water 1/2 inch over potatoes. Heat on high until water just boils. Reduce heat to maintain low boil without overflowing and parboil potatoes for about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes and remove to cutting board. Dry any excess water and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Cut parboiled potatoes into large dice.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat.
• Place potatoes in skillet and fry. Stir occasionally. Allow potatoes to cook until golden brown; adjust heat if they begin to burn. About 8-10 minutes. Season potatoes well with salt and pepper, taste to see if more seasoning is needed.
• Reduce heat to low or medium-low. Crack eggs over potato mixture and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Allow eggs to steam over top of potatoes for about 1 minute before scrambling into potatoes. Cook until eggs are desired doneness, 1-2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
• Sprinkle Parmesan and minced fresh parsley over scramble and stir briefly to distribute. Serve.

Notes

• Red or white potatoes make good substitutes for Yukon gold.
• Any flavorful cheese can be used as substitute for Parmesan.
• Any neutral flavored oil can be used as substitute for vegetable or canola oil.
• Fresh parsley can be omitted if desired.
• Seasoning salts, herbs, or garlic or onion powder can be used to add unique flavor to scramble.

While I make this dish simply to speed up cooking time, you could certainly add fresh onions or garlic if you wished. Try sauteeing any sort of onion in the oil before you add the potatoes, then remove the onions to a plate while you fry the potatoes and add them back before you add the eggs. Any sort of onion would do, from scallions to sweet onions to shallots. If you have a favorite, give it a try. If you’d like to add fresh garlic, I’d recommend adding it after you reduce the heat when you’re preparing to add the eggs, so the garlic doesn’t get too browned and bitter.

If I don’t have time to cook extra add-ins, I’ll sometimes use seasoning salt or garlic powder to pep up the taste of the dish a bit. If you have a particular favorite seasoning mix that you think will go well with potatoes and eggs, give it a try!

Finally, a note about cheese. I think any flavorful cheese can work in this dish. If you’d rather use Gruyere or Sharp Cheddar, or Asiago — go for it! It’s the sort of dish that really lends itself to experimentation.