American Breakfast
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 24 ounces russet potatoes – peeled and coarsely shredded (~3 medium russet potatos)
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 large egg
- 8 slices sandwich bread
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter – softened
- ketchup – for serving
- hot sauce – for serving
Instructions
- 1.
Heat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the bacon on a foil-lined sheet pan and bake until browned and crisp, 15–20 minutes; transfer to paper towels and keep warm.
- 2.
While the bacon cooks, peel and coarsely shred the russet potatoes; rinse under cold water until it runs mostly clear, then squeeze completely dry in a clean towel.
- 3.
In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt and black pepper; set aside as a seasoning mix.
- 4.
Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high. Add the vegetable oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter (you’ll need 2 tbsp more later—1 tbsp for the hash brown flip and 1 tbsp reserved for the eggs). Spread the potato shreds in an even 0.5-inch layer and press firmly; cook without stirring until the bottom is deep golden and the edges crisp, 5–7 minutes.
- 5.
Slide a wide spatula under the potatoes, flip in sections, and dot with 1 tbsp more; cook until the second side is crisp and the center is tender, 4–6 minutes. Sprinkle about half the seasoning mix over the hash browns, then transfer them to a warm plate.
- 6.
Reduce the heat to low and melt the reserved 1 tbsp in the skillet. Cook the eggs to your preference: for fried, crack into the skillet and cook until the whites are just set and the yolks still runny, 2–3 minutes (flip for over-easy and cook 20–30 seconds more); for scrambled, whisk in a bowl until smooth, pour into the skillet, and stir gently until soft curds form and no liquid egg remains, 2–3 minutes. Season the eggs with some of the remaining seasoning mix.
- 7.
Toast the sandwich bread until golden, 1–3 minutes, and spread immediately with the softened unsalted butter.
- 8.
Taste the hash browns and eggs and sprinkle on a little more of the seasoning mix if needed; arrange the cooked components on plates.
- 9.
Serve with ketchup or hot sauce.
An American breakfast plate brings together crisp bacon, eggs cooked to order, a mound of golden hash browns, and buttered toast. The contrast is part of the appeal: salty, smoky pork against creamy eggs, shattering potato crust giving way to tender centers, and warm toast with rich butter to sop up runny yolks. It’s hearty, satisfying, and designed to be customized—eggs fried or scrambled, condiments on the side, and coffee just out of frame.
Rooted in diner culture and home kitchens alike, this combination coalesced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as industrial bacon and packaged bread became widely available. Hash browns appeared on hotel and restaurant menus under various names before settling into the grated, griddled form popular today. By midcentury, the bacon-and-eggs-with-potatoes-and-toast set had become an icon of American mornings, a staple of lunch counters, roadside diners, and weekend brunches across the country.