How to make a breakfast potato casserole (video)

Laura Martin

Contributing Writer

Perfect breakfast potatoes should be piping hot, tender inside and crisp and crunchy on the edges. If you start with whole, raw potatoes, that means about an hour of prep, which is way too long to wait for breakfast. This recipe streamlines the process by starting with frozen hash browns. Serve with a poached egg and side of fruit for weekend brunch, then heat-and-eat the cheesy, bacon-flecked leftover slices throughout the week. Or see the tip below for baking the eggs right on top of the casserole!

You’ll need an oven-safe skillet, or Dutch oven, to follow this recipe as written. If you don’t have one, you can pour the contents of your skillet into a lightly oiled baking pan after step 3 and continue as directed. You’ll get a delicious result, but the edges may be slightly less crisp.

Cooktop Cove

Breakfast Potato Casserole

15 minutes

55 minutes

1 hour, 10 minutes

15-ounce bag hash browns, thawed

1½ teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 egg

4 ounces bacon, diced

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain hash brown in a colander lined with paper towels, gently pressing to wring out excess moisture.

In a large bowl, combine drained hash browns, salt, pepper, green onion, and egg.

Cook the bacon in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned and crisp. Drain excess oil. Pour in hash brown mixture and mix well.

Place directly in oven, or transfer to a greased baking dish if your skillet/pan is not oven-safe. Bake for 40 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Pro tip: You can bake eggs directly on top of the hash browns instead of topping with cheese. After the first 25 minutes of baking, drop four whole eggs onto the surface of the hash browns, sprinkle with salt and cook an additional 20 minutes, or until done to your liking.