Forget Hash Browns: Turn Baked Potatoes Into An Unforgettable Breakfast Instead

The role of potatoes at breakfast is undisputed — hash browns, skillets, and burritos all rely on this starchy tuber in some way, shape, or form. But what if the potato became its own edible breakfast bowl? This hack is inspired by twice-baked potatoes, which differ from potato skins in one important way. Instead of leaving the crispy skin as an empty shell, twice-baked potatoes use the scooped out fluffy potato flesh, mix it with different ingredients, and fill that back into the spud before baking a second time. Since this is a side dish typically loaded with cheese, bacon, and other savory additions, it's got the foundations for a breakfast version already there.

First, you need cook your baked potatoes until fork tender and from there, you get to work scooping out the fluffy center and mashing it up. You don't need a potato masher for this, just use a fork and mix the mash through with butter, milk, salt, and pepper before spooning it back into the skins. The trick is to then use the back of a spoon to make a deep well in the center. Into that well, add things like shredded cheddar, strips of raw bacon, and an egg cracked directly in the middle. This time, you only want to bake the potato until the cheese has melted, the bacon is cooked, and the egg white is set. You can leave the yolk a little runny if that's your preference, or cook it all the way through. Your breakfast baked potato is ready to dig in.

With the basic potato-as-a-breakfast-bowl concept down, there's lots of room for you to make this dish your own. To the bacon and egg, you could add sausage and baked beans to give it the feel of a full English breakfast. Or if you want to keep it a bit lighter, omit the cheese and use turkey bacon instead. A meat-free version could have sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and vegan bacon alongside the egg. Similarly, a Tex-Mex version could see the potato filled with black beans and shredded Mexican blend cheese, then topped with sliced jalapeños and salsa upon serving.

It's basically all about choosing ingredients that will survive in the oven. The cheese goes in first to ensure it melts, while anything delicate like herbs or fresh toppings are best saved as garnish for when the potato comes out of the oven after the second bake. These can include scallions, chives, hot sauce, avocado, or a spoonful of sour cream. And since potatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients for meal prep, this can be made in advance too. Bake, hollow out the flesh, mash, and refill your potatoes ahead of time so that in the morning, you just need to add a freshly cracked egg before giving it the final bake. Hash browns just got some serious competition with this trick.