Your Breakfast Pizza Isn't Complete Unless You Use This Beloved Side As Your Crust

There are only so many times a person can have granola or even the best scrambled eggs for breakfast before they want to start shaking things up. Breakfast pizza is just the thing to break routine and send Neapolitan-style purists into a frenzy. It typically consists of things like sausage, eggs, and cheese, but you can mix it up with another morning classic by using hash browns as the crust.

Building the pie approximation of your desires could be as simple as stacking your other ingredients on a pre-formed mashed potato patty and heating it like a pizza bagel. However, superior potato forms make it all seem a little more like the trompe-l'œil you're aiming to create. You'll want shredded hash browns that hold together in one large circle and bake to a golden hue. The outside should be crisp, and the inside should be tender. You can top it all off with other breakfast bites or anything else you want to add to the spuds.

The potato base is the most important element here. Although you're probably going to need a knife and fork, you'll want it to be sturdy enough to stand up on its own like a typical flour crust (more or less). For that, you'll need uniformly shredded potatoes, and not the many other varieties you may be familiar with. The lattice structure provides layers of support, whereas a softened base would collapse under the weight. You'll want to spend some time and elbow grease grating the potatoes, or you can opt for a store-bought variety.

With the spuds shredded, it's essential to remove as much moisture as possible for maximum crunchiness. This trick also helps you achieve crispier French fries at home, as excess liquid creates a tenderizing effect through the steam. Pull out a good length of layered paper towel sheets, spread the shredded hash browns on top, and roll them into a log.

After squeezing out the moisture, toss them with a bit of salt and fry them together in a hot, oiled pan, pressing down with a spatula from time to time. Formed and ready to masquerade as a crust, you can then cover the hash brown base with some (separately cooked) bacon and eggs. Sprinkle the pizza with cheese, and bake everything in the oven until it looks like a cohesive pie. Hash browns are a delicious dough swap for pizza crust, and they'll make your breakfast pizza shine.