they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day…

Not a morning person? Me neither! This recipe is for the less fortunate like us ;)  Just sneak a bag of frozen shredded hash browns into your fridge the day before and you’ll basically just throw the rest together the next morning in a jiffy (I love that saying, who came up with that?)

makes 4 servings

30 oz frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 heaping cup flour
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2/3 cup diced onion (I used yellow onion, use whatever!)
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 oz diced pancetta
salt and pepper
handful of chopped fresh parsley
EVOO

1. Make sure your shredded hashbrowns are completely thawed out – use a paper towel to squeeze excess water from them
2. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of EVOO in a skillet over medium high heat, add chopped onion, pancetta and garlic. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Set in large mixing bowl.
3. To that same bowl add the thawed hashbrowns, 3 beaten eggs, flour, cheese, parsley, salt & pepper.
4. In the same skillet, add a generous amount of EVOO – enough to cover the bottom of the pan
5. Shape hash brown mixture into palm-sized balls and slightly flatten, add to pan and fry 2 minutes per side or until crispy and brown

As always, use my recipe as a resource but feel free to put your own creative twist on it. I wish I could have added fresh red bell pepper, another cheese (yes, more cheese), fresh dill, etc. But what you see in this recipe is simply what I had on hand. I am not one to want to make a quick run to the grocery store first thing Sunday morning.

Also! Don’t feel like you have to eat these hash brown cakes alone (however, totally acceptable!). But for example, I added some guacamole and a sunny-side up egg to kick it up a notch.