This breakfast skillet is so simple to make and is one of our families favorite Sunday brunch recipes. I often use this breakfast hash recipe when Im making brunch for guests just because its so easy and everyone LOVES it!

We’ve got the breakfast skillet recipe here along with optional ingredients, two ways to make it, and tips on how to get your potatoes nice and crispy!

Everyone loves crispy potatoes!

We’re going to show you two ways to make this brunch recipe, in a skillet and also on a sheet pan. Maybe the sheet pan version should be called breakfast hash and the pan fried version a breakfast skillet.

Lots of people call this dish a potato hash too. Which ever you want to call it, its damn good!

Why We Love This Breakfast Skillet

Let me count the ways:

its all made in one pan! Or on one sheet pan!
the flavor is awesome!
its so easy to make, even for when you have guests.
you can use leftovers you have in your fridge if you want
its even good without an egg on top so if you have an allergy to eggs, this will be your new go-to!
you can totally customize this recipe to suit your family or friends tastes.
have I mentioned how easy it is?!

I started making this breakfast hash when we found out that Kevin was intolerant to eggs. We like to have brunch together on weekends and its tough to make a brunch recipe that we all loved that didn’t have eggs as a main ingredient.

I came up with this as its still got such great flavor and has that brunch taste, but you don’t have to add the egg on top if you don’t want to.

And it still tastes just as good!

Ingredients You Will Need

These are the ingredients that I used in this recipe:

potatoes
oil – avocado oil, coconut oil, or MCT oil work best!
farmer sausage – see note below
onions and garlic
peppers
jalapenos
fried eggs
herbs and spices: salt, pepper, thyme and chives

See? Simple!

NOTE: We always use a raw farmer sausage and we recommend you do too unless you can’t find one, in which case, using a smoked or cooked one will do.

Other Breakfast Hash Ingredient Ideas

Here are some options for if you want to swap out an ingredient or you have something different on hand in your fridge. I have used all of these ingredients at one point or another and they are all fantastic.

chorizo
leftover steak
sweet potatoes
mushrooms
Cajun spice
poblano peppers
bacon!
cubed ham
scrambled eggs
cheese!

Lots of options will work with this breakfast skillet.

Best Skillet to Use

All skillets are not created equal! The absolute best skillet to use to make this recipe is one of these:

Debbie and I love our stainless steel skillets and also our cast iron skillets. They are kick ass, good for you, easy to clean, and they are non-stick if you use them properly.

You want a rather large skillet to make this breakfast hash recipe in so your potatoes have room to touch the bottom and get crispy.

Or… Best Sheet Pan to Use

The best sheet pans that Debbie and I have used are these Nordic Ware sheet pans. They are really great for getting things crispy in the oven, they clean easy and my food doesn’t stick!

How To Make a Breakfast Skillet

Here is how its done:

Wash and cut up your potatoes. You want them to be no bigger than bite size, but you can make them as small as you like.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat then add a few tablespoons of oil. Use a stainless steel skillet if you have one! When the oil is hot, add your potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Cook your potatoes till they are nice and crispy brown. You will need to stir them every once in a while or shake them around in the pan when they stick. They will take around 10-15 mins to cook depending on how small you cut the chunks and how much room they have to contact the bottom of the pan.
Remove the browned potatoes from the skillet and set aside.
Add the onion and jalapeno (optional) to the skillet along with a little more salt, pepper, thyme (fresh or dried), onion and garlic powder. Cook until slightly translucent. Add the fresh garlic too.
Chop up your uncooked farmer sausage into bite sized pieces and add it to the onions. It will cook quickly so just stir it a bit and then add the pepper when its almost cooked.
Add the potatoes back to the skillet and stir to combine. If you like, add some grated cheese on top and put a lid on so it melts.
Fry up an egg how you like it and serve your breakfast hash with an egg on top if you like.

How To Get Crispy Potatoes

I LOVE crispy potatoes and I’m willing to bet that you do too. I used to make this potato hash cooking the onions and potatoes at once, but that didn’t give me really crispy potatoes. Here are a few tips I’ve learned to get your potatoes really crispy:

use a stainless steel skillet – they really do work the best to get things crispy!
only cook the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Any other herbs or spices will cause them to stick and not get a nice crust.
when you take the potatoes out of the pan to cook the rest of the dish, don’t cover them.
when you return the potatoes to the pan, toss them quickly and then serve as soon as possible.

How To Make Sheet Pan Breakfast Hash

This recipe can also be made on a sheet pan. Here are the steps:

Boil the potatoes in salted water till fork tender. When they are done, strain them and let them sit for a while and get dry.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Rub a little oil on the sheet pan then place the potatoes on top. Press down on the potatoes so they smash and get flat. OR you can just cut the potatoes in chunks and cook them.
Pour a little melted butter on top or drizzle some more oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Bake for 30 mins.
Pull out the potatoes and add the chopped onion, jalapeno, thyme, and sprinkle with onion and garlic powder. Return the potatoes to the oven and cook for another 10 mins.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and add the farmer sausage and peppers. Cook for another 7 – 10 mins or until the farmer sausage is cooked.

Serve with melted cheese and an egg on top if you like!

How To Make This for a Crowd

As I mentioned, I often make this potato hash, breakfast hash or breakfast skillet (whatever you want to call it) when we have brunch guests. It’s super easy to make and looks like something you might order at a restaurant.

We are going on a house boat this summer with 5 other couples and my job is to make brunch for everyone one morning so this is what Im going to make. To make my life easy when I make this for brunch guests, I do the following:

cut up my potatoes ahead of time. To keep them from turning brown, I keep them submerged in water till Im ready to use them.
cut up my onions, jalapenos, and peppers ahead of time.
I use the oven method if I have over 6 adults I’m cooking for
OR I use the oven to cook my potatoes and I cook the onions, jalapenos, farmer sausage and pepper in a skillet then when the potatoes are ready, I put the onion & sausage mixture on top and mix.

Fried eggs cook quickly too so those are really easy as well. Again, use a stainless steel skillet for the eggs! That makes things so non-stick easy!

We sure hope you love this brunch recipe as much as our families do!

Other Brunch Recipes You Might Like:

And Don’t Forget the Brunch Cocktails:

If you’ve tried this breakfast skillet recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below. We love hearing from you!

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