Name: Cheesy Hash Browns with Bacon and Ham
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 people
Ingredients: 3 Large Poatoes, (any variety will do, preferable baked. Leftover baked potatoes work great); 6 Tablespoons Avocado oil, bacon grease, butter (or a mixture of all 3); 1 medium Onion; 1/2 Large Red Pepper; 1 Tablespoon Garlic (minced); 1/2 Cup Ham, Diced into 1/2" chunks; 2/3 Cup Bacon Bits, pre-cooked if possible --see instructions if you don't have pre-cooked bacon bits; Salt and Pepper to taste; 2 Cups Cheese (Cheddar works great but just about any will do), shredded

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These hash browns are the bomb-dot-com. They are smothered in cheese and are loaded with ham, bacon and plenty of spice and seasonings. These homemade hash brown potatoes only take a few minutes to whip up and will soon become your breakfast, or breakfast for dinner, favorite!

Skillet Hash Browns Recipe

These skillet hash browns are easy and only take a few minutes to throw together. They can be ready and on your breakfast or brunch table in under 20 minutes.

I like to make these homemade hashbrowns after I've made baked potatoes. If you can start the recipe with potatoes that are already baked, it cuts down on time immensely! Here's the bake potato method I like best.

The Best Hash Browns Recipe

This recipe can easily have some variations. I like to use onion, garlic, and red pepper in my hash brown recipe but if you'd like to add more vegetables, mushrooms, green pepper, jalapeno, zucchini, even broccoli or cauliflower would work great in this recipe too. By adding more veggies, it could definitely be considered a main course meal on its own.

Another time-saver for this recipe is to use pre-cooked bacon.

I like the Kirkland brand and buy it from Costco in a huge bag but cooking your own bacon bits will definitely work here too. If you're planning ahead and want to save some time, leftover baked potatoes and pre-cooked bacon bits are a huge time saver.

Our all-time favorites with these hash browns are:

Coconut French Toast

Candied Bacon

Mint Lemonade

How To Make Hashbrowns:

if you'd like to save a bunch of time, use leftover baked potatoes and pre-cooked bacon
If you don't have leftover baked potatoes, you can dice your potatoes into 1/2" chunks and cook on the skillet, this will just add about 15-20 minutes to this process. You can also wash, poke holes in your potatoes and cook them in the microwave Cook until you can poke the potato with a fork, it is soft but not mushy. Let the potato cool enough to handle it, dice it up and continue with the recipe.
To make homemade bacon bits, just cut the bacon into 1/2" pieces with kitchen scissors. Cook in a skillet on medium heat and stir occasionally until the bacon is slightly crispy and golden. Using a slotted spoon, take the bacon bits out of the frying pan and let them cool on a plate lined with paper towels.
Next, dice the onion and cook in the bacon grease or butter or oil until they are slightly golden. Be sure to cook your onions until they are translucent before adding your potatoes.
Add the potatoes to the onions, garlic, and diced red pepper too.
I like to use a mixture of butter and avocado oil to get the hash browns crispy and golden brown. If you have bacon grease, you can use that too! I like to start out with a few tablespoons of oil or butter and then add more as needed.
After you dump the potatoes in the pan, don't stir the pan until the potatoes are golden. Flip the potatoes over with a spatula and cook until golden again.
Add the ham (leftover holiday ham works great for this recipe too) and bacon bits after you stir/flip the potatoes for the last time.
If you find your potatoes are sticking to the skillet, use a little more butter or oil.
Use a non-stick pan, it will cut down on the amount of oil needed.
Take the hash browns off the heat.
Add cheese when the hash browns are finished cooking and mix into the potatoes.Â Add more cheese to the top of the hash browns and cover with a lid for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese.