Egg and Potato Breakfast Scramble
You'll love this breakfast scramble! It's an easy, versatile, one-skillet breakfast filled with scrambled eggs, home fries, herbs and cheese.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Well, the holidays have snuck up on me once again and Christmas is just around the corner. Fortunately, my list of loved ones to buy for is a short one this year and I feel prepared. I donโt have stressful decisions to make about what to buy my non-existant significant othersโ family members, and for that I am glad. Truly. Sometimes I bemoan the fact that I am single, but I relish it just as often. Sometimes I donโt want to be aloneโlike when Iโm driving to Kansas City and my iPhone fails me, leaving me to find my way with no phone numbers and only half of my friendsโ addressโbut at other times I want to be alone, like when itโs just me, this breakfast in a skillet, and a fork. Singledom at its finest!
This recipe has been adapted from Pam Anderson (no, not that Pamela Anderson), who recently published a cookbook called Cook without a Book: Meatless Meals. I almost called it a non-cookbook because she presents vegetarian meal concepts, rather than precise recipes, and provides tips and flavor combinations that go with it.
I love this way of cooking because itโs realisticโI almost never follow recipes exactly, because I donโt want to make an extra trip to the store or because my taste buds prefer a different flavor. I think itโs an especially great concept for a vegetarian cookbook because so many who want to cook more meatless meals do not know where to begin. Pamโs cookbook provides plenty of family-friendly vegetarian cooking inspiration along with endless flavor combinations to try.
I was drawn to Pamโs recipe for this egg and potato scramble because it was easy to scale down for breakfast for one. I love breakfastโitโs the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morningโand on the weekends I love spending lazy mornings making myself a good meal. Sometimes, I want a quick, savory breakfast instead of sweet waffles or pancakes, and this scramble was just right.
I appreciate Pamโs technique for quickly steaming the potatoes, which speeds up the potato cooking process and means that I can now whip up a breakfast club-quality meal for myself in twenty minutes! Her breakfast scramble is not unlike the โveggie kitchen sinkโ I enjoyed for brunch at Succotash in Kansas City this past weekend. Itโs basically like mixing together two of my favorite Breakfast Club menu items (home fries and scrambled eggs) in one skillet, for one. Iโm a big fan.
The recipe below is Pamโs original, which serves two people. I scaled it down for one by cooking two medium red potatoes and two scrambled eggs in an 8-inch cast iron skillet. In fact, Pamโs breakfast scramble was so good that I couldnโt resist eating it straight from the pan (and thankfully, no one was around to watch)!
Egg and Potato Breakfast Scramble
Youโll love this breakfast scramble! Itโs an easy, versatile, one-skillet breakfast filled with scrambled eggs, home fries, herbs and cheese. Itโs like all my favorite things about breakfast in one skillet.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces red potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed and diced. (Pam said four small red potatoes. I would dice up just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet in a single layer.)
- ยผ cup water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 3 large eggs, beaten (Iโd probably add another for good measure)
- Dash of milk
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- โ cup grated cheese (I used Gruyรจre)
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped herbs (I used fresh thyme) OR a pinch of dried herbs
Instructions
- Combine the potatoes, water, oil and salt in a 10-inch skillet. The author suggested a non-stick skillet but in my opinion thereโs nothing a well-seasoned cast iron skillet canโt do.
- Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for about five minutes, until the water has evaporated and the potatoes start to sautรฉ.
- Uncover the potatoes and loosen them from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon until lightly browned, about five minutes later. If youโre using dried spices or herbs, add them now.
- In a bowl, scramble the eggs with a dash of milk. Pour the eggs into the skillet, toss in the scallions and scramble until the eggs are just set. Remove the skillet from heat.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese and fresh herbs (optional). Give it a minute to let the cheese melt, then dig in!
Notes
Adapted from Cook without a Book by Pam Anderson.
Variations to try: Extra-sharp cheddar with fresh dill, feta or goat cheese with oregano (add diced roasted red pepper), pepper jack and cilantro (perhaps add black beans and a side of salsa), or Swiss cheese and paprika.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
My grandma makes amazing sweet potato biscuits in the morning!
We love monkey bread and if weโre feeling more ambitious, sticky buns. Something sticky and super bad for you! Happy Holidays!
I love my morning bowl of oatmeal, so when I need to feed a crowd, I prepare baked oatmeal with different dried and fresh fruit, nuts, and seeds!
I love greek yogurt and homemade granolaโฆanother favorite is brown rice pudding with dried cranberries! Great blog! This breakfast looks so good!
Iโm a breakfast person too, but it took me 20 years to fall in love with eggs. Now I make an omelette at least once a week. If not for breakfast than for a quick & tasty dinner. My favorite sides are potatoes, onions and greens.
My favorite holiday breakfast would have to be pumpkin bread french toast, which is leftover pumpkin bread soaked in an egg wash and cooked just like you would with classic french toast. The french toast is delicious with just a drizzle of maple syrup or a pad of nice jam, but is sweet enough to go without.
My favorite is pumpkin waffles with ginger spice, served with bacon. Yum!
Love your blog โ have been blog-stalking you for a while now and really enjoy it. :=)
Thanks for the comment, Amy! Iโm so glad you enjoy my blog.
Our Christmas breakfast is Eggnog and Christmas breadโฆso special!
This cookbook looks like fun!
Our tradition is cinnamon buns, but one of my fav things is a slight variation of this recipe; pan fried potatoes with tomato, egg, mozzarella and basil!
My favorite holiday breakfast is homemade waffles with fresh fruit. This year I had gluten-free banana bread with almond butter and homemade cinnamon rolls. If I could eat something for breakfast every day it would probably be breakfast burritos with potatoes.
waffles with black,blue & strawberries and a mountain of whipped cream + eggs/sauteed spinach
This year our big holiday breakfast was overnight waffles with fresh blueberries, strawberries and real Vermont maple syrup!
I am not sure why I never mix the eggs and hash browns for this 1 pan scramble, but it was oh so good with the mexican version made!
Our family made our most delicious (and meat free) Christmas morning breakfast to date! Aged cheddar, asparagus and carmelized onion strata (made with homemade bread) with fruit salad. So delicious!
Always love me some cinnamon rolls for a holiday breakfast!
this year for x.mas i made egg nog pancakes + caramelized bananas!
Wow this looks good!!!!
: ))
Jen
Have you ever tried it with sweet taters instead? I am wanting to try it but not sure if it would be a weird tasteโฆeggs and sweet tatersโฆhmm. Thoughts?
Great question, Julia. I havenโt tried if with sweet potatoes, but I absolutely love sweet potatoes so I think itโd be delicious. I bet rosemary and Parmesan would be stellar with the sweet potatoes and eggs!
Breakfast is always whatever we can find. Usually itโs a Japanese yam thatโs been steamed or baked. Mmmm!
I just made a simpler version of this for my sick kiddos. We normally just do plain old scrambled eggs for my kids, they likenthingsnboring. First response when they saw it was โyuck!โ My kids always have to try at least one bite of everything on their plate so I made them try it. The pan is now empty! They loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Thatโs great, Camille! Iโm glad your kids enjoyed this breakfast dish.
I just made this for breakfast, along with your apple cinnamon oatmeal muffins. After my husband tasted the eggs and potatoes, he spontaneously applauded and bowed down to me! Haha! Great recipe!
Thanks, Elisha! Applause in the kitchen is a beautiful thing. :)
Mmmโฆ guess whats for dinner tonight?! Gonna try it with feta!
Hey Felicity,
Christmas breakfast growing up was momโs homemade cinnamon rolls and pineapple rolls-yeah buddy, mouth-watering! I make something similar to the potato egg scramble called the Mountain Man Breakfast that even my adamantly anti-dadโs cooking 10 year old son admits is good!
You say you occasionally cheat with fish and bacon, have you succumbed to cheating with any Kansas City barbecue yet?
I took a bite of my brotherโs pulled pork sandwich from Oklahoma Joeโs last yearโnot a fan!
So, whatโs your position on Yosemite Sam?!? haha (sorry-that was bad!)
This looks so good. Thank you for sharing. I love breakfast, and especially were I am originally from the South we have breakfast for dinner, so I cant wait to try this .
Really tasty. Will make again
I made this today for my lunch/second breakfast, used the recipe that feeds two aaaaand ate most of it myself Youโve made this pregnant ladyโs tummy very happy, thank you!
Loved this recipe, a great way to sautรฉ potatoes and tastes fabulous with some added chillies, I will definitely be making this again
Yum, chilis sound excellent :)
Hi, Thank you for sharing the recipe for the easy and delicious โEgg and Potato Breakfast Scramble.โ I made it this morning and it was perfect!
Awesome! Thanks, Andrea.
I added some red bell pepper and carrot with the potatoes which added a nice sweet flavor to it :) I also put sausage in just after the water evaporated to add some meet in. Great recipe. Thanks!
Sounds delightful! Thank you, for your review! I appreciate it.
Very good! Found the recipe looking for something that would work with what we had in the โfridge (the joys of breakfast before heading out shopping) and this was perfect
I can relate, Scott! Thank you, for your comment and review.
Not a fan.
Iโm sorry you didnโt love this recipe, Dee. Thanks for your feedback.
Found this recipe while staying home, where Iโm re-learning how to cook.This method of cooking potatoes by steaming first in the same skillet as subsequent sauteing and scrambling is just what I was looking for! Boiling potatoes beforehand in a different pot was just too much kitchen mess. Thank you!
A little spicy aioli (fancy word for a mix of hot sauce and mayo) added just the sauce needed.
Thank you, Erika! So glad you enjoyed this one. Youโre reminding me that I havenโt had a breakfast scramble in way too long. Love you aioli addition, will have to try that next time!
nice
Great recipe! One of my favourites for any time of day!
I made this recipe with leftover roasted potatoes. It was very good! Thank you!
Simple and delicious, but please note that the potatoes are easy to burn!
Iโm sorry you had some trouble! Be sure to watch the heat. Thank you for your feedback and review, Hay.
How long would you be comfortable storing leftovers in the fridge ?
Hi Emily, it should keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Although, itโs best the first day.
This recipe looks great! But I think you have the wrong link for Succotash, which should be this:
http://www.succotashkcmo.com/
Thank you for the heads-up! Looks like their domain name changed.
My husband loves potatoes and scrambled egg breakfast burritos. I tried this recipe he didnโt care for it. He didnโt like the thyme. The only difference is I used chives with a little black pepper. Would try again but without the spices.
Iโm sorry this one wasnโt a hit with him. I appreciate your feedback, Melissa.
It took 4-5 times longer to cook the potatoes than the recipe says it does and I used only 3 potatoes. It was OK, a bit dry even after I added in 3 or more teaspons of oil. And it was too much for one person โ Iโd cut it down to 2 1/2 potatoes, add more water and cook it in the water longer.
Love love love the recipe, very simple yet filling and delicious!