Spicy Chipotle Breakfast Idaho® Potato Hash Browns

Ingredients:

• 4 large Russet Idaho® potatoes, cleaned
• 3 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper
• ¼ red onion, diced
• ½ red pepper, diced
• ½ green pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
• 4 slices cheddar cheese, or 2 oz shredded
• 4 eggs
• pico, fresh tomatoes, and scallions for topping

• ¼ cup sour cream (or crema if you have some on hand)
• 1 - 3 tablespoons chipotle sauce
• salt and pepper
• 1 scallion, green part only, diced
• few sprigs of cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
2. Peel and dice your potatoes into ½" cubes.
3. Preheat a large oven safe skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and swirl to coat. Toss in the potatoes and season with salt. Allow to brown in the skillet while you dice the rest of your vegetables. Sauté the potatoes until they are just starting to crisp. Toss in the onion and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and allow the veggies to get tender, another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring as needed (you may need to toss in another tablespoon of butter).
4. Add the paprika, cumin, and cayenne and stir to coat. Allow the potatoes to really brown before removing from heat.
5. With your spatula, create 4 divots in the potatoes. Working quickly, arrange the cheese in each divot, creating a little nest for each egg. Gently crack an egg into each.
6. Slide into the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes until eggs are set.
   Pro tip - I always pull my skillet out of the oven a minute early. With all that heat, the eggs will continue to set as I garnish the dish and set the plates out (but I do love a runny yolk).
7. Meanwhile, make the chipotle cream. Whisk the sour cream (or crema) with 1 tablespoon of chipotle sauce. Taste and add more if desired. Season with salt and pepper and whisk in the scallions.
8. Garnish the skillet with fresh tomatoes, pico de gallo, scallions, and fresh snipped cilantro. Serve directly from the skillet.

Tip: I whipped this up in an oven-safe skillet, perfect for 4 eggs, but if you are feeding more, double up on your ingredients in the skillet and bake this in a 9x3 pan, cracking the eggs over the cheese right in the pan. Other great additions to this hash - fresh grilled corn right off the cob, black beans, and diced jalapeno.

Tip: Pepper jack or Monterey Jack would be great substitutes for cheddar cheese in this recipe! Remember, it's a clean out the fridge meal - so grab what you got!