Creamy Hash with Turkey Bacon

I'm back. Last year was nuts! I honestly didn't do nearly as much cooking as the year before because I joined a rock band...? Yup-seriously. And I have realized that my time in the kitchen has shifted to big breakfasts on the weekend while my wonderful hubby Kent cooks up most of the dinners while I am rehearsing. (Many of his creations to come!) This morning, however, I finally made something that pushed me over to the computer to share--a super yummy hash for this super cold Sunday. How can it look so beautiful out, yet be so awfully cold at the same time? It's just cruel. So if you are inside surviving the sub-zero temperature dive yet again, looking longingly out the sunny window, hoping for warmer days so you can actually enjoy the snow, here is a little something to warm your belly and settle your soul.

Creamy Hash with Turkey Bacon

This is a lighter hash, but of course, if you've got the “real” stuff on hand (or just don't give a rip), substitute at will.

Ingredients:

2-3 cups frozen hashbrowns (about an inch deep in your skillet)

3Tbsp canola oil

¼ cup onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup fat-free half-n-half

¼ cup light sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 strips turkey bacon

2 eggs

salt/pepper

Preparation:

In your 12 inch skillet, heat the oil and saute the onions until soft over medium-high heat. Remove the onions (unless you like them super crispy) and add the frozen hashbrowns. Put the onions on top of the potatoes and season up with your desired amount of salt and pepper. Cover. (Covering is the key to awesome hashbrowns. This may seem crazy, but you'll be so glad you did it!)

Cook hashbrowns for 5 minutes covered. If it is your first time making hashbrowns, you may need to monitor your heat and browning, but ideally you should just leave them alone. Heat should be somewhere between medium and medium-high, and they may seem like they are sticking a bit at first but that is a-OK.

In another pan cook up your turkey bacon until it has reached your desired crispiness--for me that is about 4 minutes. Remove the bacon, add a bit of oil, and make your over-easy eggs.

Flip hashbrowns over in chunks. Don't worry if this isn't a perfect pancake of hashbrowns. It is all going to get mixed up anyway. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Slice your turkey bacon into thin strips and sprinkle on the hash browns. Pour the half-n-half over and mix in gently. Sprinkle with the cheese and fold in. Remove to plates immediately and top with your egg.

Serves 2 hungry Minnesotans on a cold winter's day.

-Nikki