Crispy Breakfast Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

Whoever said breakfast was the most important meal of the day deserves an award.

Of course, that saying really refers to the quality of food you put into your body first thing in the day — regardless of what time you start eating (intermittent fasting, anyone?) — but we like to interpret it on many levels. 

Breakfast is all about waking up your digestive system with nourishing, fiber-rich foods. And if you’ve got the time for it, why wouldn’t you slow down and treat yourself to a delicious meal (preferably shared with people you love)?

When it comes to brunch foods, not much can beat a good breakfast potato recipe (though Elana’s Instant Pot Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal is a serious contender). This hash is our go-to breakfast dish: Elana makes it at least once per weekend, and I’m quickly getting there!

Potatoes: The Ultimate (Healthy) Comfort Food

If I asked you to name some comfort foods, odds are good that french fries, mashed potatoes, and potato chips would make that list somewhere. Those things are generally loaded down with grease and unhealthy fats, making potatoes seem like a guilty pleasure and nothing more.

But in reality, if you eat them right, potatoes are a low-calorie and high-fiber food that help fight inflammation, heart disease, and even cancer. They’re also filled with vitamins and antioxidants, and they’re naturally gluten-free (win for the gluten-intolerant folks out there)!

The recent low-carb trend demonizes all forms of carbs — but Elana and I believe your best bet for long-term health isn’t to avoid all carbs, but highly-processed foods and sugars. 

Most low-carb diets replace whole grains and starches with huge amounts of meat and dairy. This strategy can help people lose weight in the short-term, but it’s probably not a good idea for long-term health. Not to mention that it isn’t environmentally sustainable.

Whole-food carb sources like potatoes, whole grains, and legumes have many of the nutrients your body needs. Plus, eating them in their whole-food form retains the fiber that helps your body digest (or, more accurately, not digest) carbs correctly. 

Okay, I’m getting off my soapbox now!

How to Make Breakfast Potatoes

This breakfast potato recipe is so easy to make, you’ll be pulling an Elana and making it every weekend day in no time!

Simply:

1. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet, then add chopped potatoes. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Add diced onion, maple syrup, rosemary, salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Replace the cover and let it all sit for another 15 minutes.
3. Serve immediately — and if you’re not vegan, take my advice and throw a sunny-side-up egg on top! You’ll thank me later.

Cooking these potatoes in a cast-iron skillet is our favorite way to make them, but you could use any skillet. We just suggest covering the potatoes with a lid to shorten the cooking time.

How to Make Your Breakfast Potatoes Crispy

One word of warning here: the first time I tried making this recipe, my potatoes turned out a little mushy. Delicious, but not the crispy, restaurant-worthy hash I expected. So I did a little research (and checked in with Elana, my chef-on-call), and came up with a few tips for perfect, crispy potatoes:

• Use a cast-iron skillet. I was already doing this, but I discovered that cast-iron is supposed to give potatoes the crispiest outside.
• Soak potatoes in water to release the starch. Apparently, the starch in potatoes is what contributes to the mushy texture when they’re cooked. Feel free to soak them overnight if you have the time, or just for a few minutes before you cook them. Be sure to pat them dry before you put them into the skillet.
• Resist the urge to stir. Just let them sit while they’re cooking, and don’t even lift the lid more than you can help it! I was afraid they would burn, but they did well. Now, I only let myself stir them (briefly) a total of twice during the entire process.

Over to You!

Now that you know all my tips (and you’ve sat through my ranting on the low-carb diet trend), it’s time to give this recipe a shot! I’m so excited for you to try this one — it’s quickly become one of my favorites, because it’s insanely easy, endlessly customizable, and tastes SO good. 

These breakfast potatoes are yet another reason to look forward to weekend brunches at home. If you give them a try, don’t forget to rate and comment below, and as always tag us on IG @plum_savory with your mouth-watering creations!

Cheers,
Nicole

Crispy Breakfast Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

When it comes to brunch foods, not much can beat a good breakfast potato recipe. This hash is our go-to breakfast dish — you'll be tempted to make this every weekend!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups red potatoes 6-7 potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 white or yellow onion diced
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

 

• Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Add oil (1Tblsp) and let heat for additional 1-2 minutes.
• Once oil is hot, add potatoes (4c) and cover with a lid slightly smaller than the skillet.
• Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add onion (1/2), maple syrup (2Tblsp), rosemary (1tsp), salt (1/2tsp), garlic powder (1/2tsp), and red pepper flakes (1/4tsp).
• Cook covered for additional 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are soft and onions are clear.
• Serve immediately with all your favorite brunch foods!

Notes

Best when fresh, but will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Keyword comfort food, easy, gluten-free, healthy, quick, vegan, vegetarian