Loaded Breakfast Potatoes

Let me tell you about these loaded breakfast potatoes. H-E-A-V-E-N.

If you love breakfast as much as I do, you know the importance of perfectly cooked potatoes. They’re seriously the perfect side dish for many breakfast foods, whether you’re having easy scrambled eggs with some sausage on the side side, or a filling breakfast burrito.

A good breakfast potato recipe just goes with everything! I’ve been perfecting mine for years, and I remember those earlier years where I would up with oily, soggy potatoes or I ruined the bottom of my pans because of the potatoes that were stuck to them. With a few tweaks and a lot of patience my potatoes are now something I can be proud of.

A few months ago I got the fun idea to take them to the next level and create loaded breakfast potatoes. I even reached out about it on Instagram and Facebook and received a ton of feedback and suggestions. Using a few of the suggestions I received and some feedback from my own family, I came up with this dish and it was amazing.

I knew there had to be bacon, that’s just a given, I mean what’s the ultimate topping for breakfast potatoes if not bacon, right? Pepper jack cheese was also a must –  because, hello… favorite cheese! My mind was full of ideas, but I think that ultimately what is here is just the perfect amount of everything. Flavor, colors, textures, deliciousness. Yup, it’s all there! Next time you’re not sure what’s for breakfast, or even dinner, make sure it’s these loaded breakfast potatoes. You can thank me later!

Ingredients for Potatoes:

• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 9 russet potatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon dried onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Toppings for Loaded Breakfast Potatoes:

• cooked potatoes (ingredients above)
• 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
• 1/4 cup chunky salsa
• 1/2 red onion, diced then sauteed
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 3 thick cut slices bacon, cooked then crumbled
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Directions:

Leave the skins on the potatoes and rinse them completely. Pat to dry, then using a sharp chef’s knife quarter lengthwise, then cut into cubes. To cook the potatoes, begin by adding oil to a very large pan. I use this 5 quart jumbo cooker for everything and I just love (Affiliate link)! Warm the oil in the pan over a medium heat, then carefully add the potatoes. Mix them around a bit to be sure all of the potatoes are covered with a bit of the oil and raise the heat just a bit to a medium/high heat. This will fry the potatoes first giving them the crispy edges and golden color. Continue to stir the potatoes every few minutes to ensure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once the potatoes have these nice crispy edges and pretty golden color we can move to the next step. Lower the heat to a medium/low heat and begin to add the spices.

As you add each herb and spice, stir the potatoes so all of them are seasoned really well. Once seasoned, cover with top of the pot and let cook a few more minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.

Place on a serving dish, either family style or smaller individual servings and top with the cheese and then the onions.

Add the salsa and sour cream.

Top with the bacon, green onions and chopped cilantro.

You can change up any of the toppings as needed, based on preference. These toppings are so colorful and I think that serving this dish family style at the breakfast table can make such a statement!

Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite potato toppings?