Sunday 22 January 2012

Skillet breakfast with arugula, mushroom, new potato, yam and goat cheese



If I had to guess where my love of cooking started, I would probably pinpoint it to my dad. Sunday mornings, as far back as I can remember, my dad's only day off from a long work week, he would make big breakfasts for the family. He liked to make his own hash browns using potatoes he would cut, boil then store in the fridge the night before and would cook them in the morning until deliciously crispy with green onions. There was always bacon to go with the hash browns and eggs that he would cook to everyone's personal preference. I hated runny yokes so mine would be over-hard or scrambled. Over time I have started to enjoy my yolks a little runny but in my mind there is a very fine line between a perfectly cooked egg and a revolting slightly undercooked egg.



My dad would also make French toast quite regularly which, for himself, he would smother in ketchup. I was completely grossed out but my sister would imitate my dad and also put ketchup on her French toast. The French toast he made though always had the perfect texture, chewy and crispy around the edges, not soggy, the way I still prefer my French toast. He was not a fan of syrup but eventually started to make his own not-too-sweet blueberry sauce for French toast and pancakes. He also made delicious super cheesy omelets but I would hate it when he put mushrooms in them. Being the bratty picky eater I was would complain about the mushrooms and pick them out. Funny since mushrooms are now one of my favourite breakfast ingredients.


Following from my dad's example, breakfast became the first meal I remember cooking on a regular basis. When Mike and I started dating I would focus on cooking the most perfect bacon for our regular big breakfasts. The first time living on my own in Saskatoon the thing I ate most often was homemade breakfast sandwiches, any time of day. A meal of hash-browns, scrambled eggs and chopped up bacon, all mixed into one big mess was another of my favourites and was not limited to morning meals.

Since I made my first skillet breakfast a few weeks ago it is the only thing I want to make. The recipe I am posting today I made last weekend but made another similar one this morning. I am trying to experiment with different ingredients. Next weekend I might try something risky, like make a tomato sauce based skillet. Stay tuned...



Skillet breakfast with arugula, mushroom, new potato, yam and goat cheese 
Winter seasonal: thyme, garlic, potatoes, mushrooms (based on eatlocal.org)
Winter squash is also a delicious ingredient for a skillet and cooks much faster then potatoes, try subbing it for the sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Instead of thyme and arugula try topping with fresh basil and mozzarella. For an extra kick season with a touch of curry powder and smoked paprika. 

Ingredients
1/2 sweet potato chopped
2 cups chopped new potatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 brown mushrooms thickly sliced
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups chopped arugula
Sea salt
4 free-range eggs
Goat cheese

Directions
1 - Preheat oven to 350F.
2 - Bring about 4 cups of salted water to boil in a pot.
3 - First add regular potatoes, boil about 3 minutes, then add sweet potato, boil 3 more minutes (times may vary depending on the size of your potato pieces). Drain well.
4 - Melt butter in large ovenproof skillet over medium heat.
5 - Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, thyme and potatoes. Season with sea salt.
6 - Cook until onion is soft, and both mushrooms and potatoes are lightly browned and thoroughly cooked through, about 10 minutes.
7 - Near end of cooking time, add lemon juice to skillet.
8 - Take skillet off of heat, stir in arugula and allow skillet to cool slightly while arugula wilts.
9 - Make 4 wells between the cooked vegetables where you will break in the eggs. Add a tiny dab of butter to each well that will keep the eggs from sticking.
10 - Carefully break open eggs and add one to each well.
11 - Grate fresh pepper and sea salt over eggs.
12 - Place skillet in oven and cook approximately 8 minutes or until eggs are cooked to desired done-ness. Or you can cook about 5 minutes then place under the broiler to cook the top of the eggs quickly.
13 - Top skillet with crumbled goat cheese and serve hot.

2 comments:

  1. Love those plates. Nice pictures Andrea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do you want the plates back? Just kidding. Thanks Aafke.

    ReplyDelete