Rocky Mountain Breakfast Recipe
Eggs, Homefries, and Herbs that Smell like Morning in the Rockies
This original recipe uses healthy cooking methods and unprocessed Midwestern ingredients like eggs, tomatoes, and potatoes to create a hearty sweet-scented breakfast.
Rocky Mountain Eggs with Homefries
serves two
This recipe combines hearty ingredients, health-conscious cooking methods, and aromatics which exude the sweet smell of mountain rivers in the summertime. It's not a fast meal, but those who take the time to prepare the ingredients separately before bringing them together will enjoy the dish and stay full for hours.
Hardware:
frying pan or skillet
soaking bowl
cookie sheet or baking pan
spatula
chopping knife
Software:
2 yellow or white onions
2 eggs
2 medium potatoes (starchy, not waxy)
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 pat butter
salt
pepper
The potatoes will take longest- chop them into sugar-cube sized chunks, blanch (soak at room temperature) for 30 minutes in tapwater. Then drain and toss potatoes in a little of the vegetable oil to speed cooking and browning, lightly salt, and bake on aluminum cookie sheet or baking pan for 40 minutes at 375º or until goldenbrown.
After the potatoes are seen to, chop onions into similar chunks. In a fryingpan or skillet, add a drizzle of vegetable oil and salt, then sauté (with butter, to taste) at medium to medium-high heat for 30 minutes or until caramelized goldenbrown. Stir at five minute intervals to discourage burning and promote even caramelizing.
When all the onions have browned and sweetened, add sliced mushrooms and cherry tomatoes with a drop more oil and a sprinkle of salt. After the mushrooms and tomatoes are cooked (five minutes or so), stir ingredients to perimeter of cooking surface, and add a pat of butter to the center. When it's frothy and smells nutty, throw in the rosemary and sage.
Let the herbs toast in the butter by themselves until their sweet scent is released, then stir everything together again and add the eggs, on top of the works. The whites should run through the onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and herbs, and begin to solidify around them. Break the yolks and stir them around for a more solid omelet, or leave them to cook whole for runny or solid yolk. Sprinkle cheddar over the works.
The eggs should cook for at least three minutes on medium-high heat, or until the edges of the eggs are whitened through. Loosen one edge and turn heat down to low. Flip everything over or fold back on top of itself so the vegetables, herbs, and cheese are cooking inside the eggs. now is a good time to add pepper; unlike salt, it can burn, so it must wait until the end.
Plate the potatoes and slide the eggs on top. Any green herb like parsley or chives would make a nice garnish and add a lovely vegetative aroma. Throw in a couple slices of toast and a hot cup of tea or a cold glass of milk, and it's comfort breakfast.
