For some, breakfast is their favorite meal of the day. The thought of cereal gently bobbing in a bowl of milk excites them. They aren't satisfied just keeping it a morning ritual... fanatics want breakfast for dinner too. Preposterous! I simply don't get it. I'm just not a breakfast person. Never was. I don't like cereal, and the thought of having an omelet for dinner visually angers me. A banana or a Greek yogurt is pretty much as fancy as I get.
Once in a while, though, when the mood strikes me, I decide to cook up a nice hearty breakfast. Wanting to eat a bit recently, due to the extra poundage acquired since our wedding in July and because of the constant "encouragement" from my wife, breakfast also has to have some major nutritional value.
If you checked out the smooth and velvety Sweet Potato Hummus recipe from a couple weeks ago, you already know the multitude of health benefits a sweet potato packs. Up the nutrition ante with some kale thrown in the mix, and you have yourselves a dish even Bob Harper would be happy about.
Tyler and I made this hash together while our better half's were busy, off running one of those Winter 5Ks. Something else I don't get: running a 5K in the dead of winter. But hey, if they enjoy it, and it gives Tyler and I time to hang out and talk food, I'm all for it 🙂 Thanks to Tyler for these beautiful photos!
When you're prepping your sweet potatoes, make sure to give them a fine dice, around ¼''. Cutting them bigger is going to greatly increase the time it takes to cook. I of course learned that lesson the hard way.
I'm really loving shallots lately. They are a bit milder and sweeter than their onion counterpart. If you don't have shallots, though, feel free to substitute a medium or large red onion.
And now that I'm writing this post, I realize that adding in a red bell pepper would have probably been a nice touch (finely dice the same size as the sweet potatoes). If you have one, try it and let me know 🙂
I had a bag of frozen kale from Trader Joe's in the freezer and used that for this recipe. After cooking it according to package directions (I did the microwave option), wrap the kale in a couple paper towels and wring out any excess moisture. Feel free to use fresh kale if you have it, but I like the frozen option because it's quick and easy!
What really makes this hash complete is the beautiful fried egg on top. And really, is there anything as beautiful as cutting into a yolk and watching it slowly melt out all over the hash?
A little extra sprinkle of pepper on your egg and you're ready to dig in. Feel free to also drizzle some sriracha over your finished plate if you're into that sort of thing (Thanks to Tyler's brother for that tip... I'm definitely doing that next time).
Sweet Potato and Kale Hash
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a fine ¼" dice
- 2 shallots, finely sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into a fine ¼" dice (optional)
- 2 - 3 cups frozen kale (recommended) or fresh kale
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 eggs
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Butter (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the finely diced sweet potatoes, finely sliced shallot, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, and season very generously with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. You could also add in 1 finely diced red bell pepper if you have one (I didn't have one, but I will probably add this next time).
- Cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are cooked through and tender, about 15-18 minutes.
- If using frozen kale (recommended, it's so quick and easy!), heat it according to package directions, then wrap kale in a couple paper towels and wring out any excess moisture. If using fresh kale, remove ribs and stems and roughly chop leaves.
- Add kale into the skillet approximately during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Taste the hash and season with additional salt or pepper if needed.
- As the hash is finishing up cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter (or a mixture of both) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot (adding a droplet of water to the pan should make it sizzle), crack open eggs and add them, one at a time, into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cover with a lid. This will help the tops of the whites to set before overcooking the bottom of the eggs. The eggs are done cooking once the whites are just set (the yolk will still be runny).
- Divide the hash among four plates, topping each with one of sunny-side up eggs. Sprinkle the egg with some freshly ground pepper, drizzle with some sriracha (completely optional), and enjoy immediately!
Andrew says
I am one of those breakfast, brunch, and brinner people and I have to say this looks like a solid recipe. I especially like the inclusion of cumin and paprika, those two spices are always the ones that go fastest in my house. Have you tried this, but swapped the kale out and used collard greens instead? It would be my go-to, but that's just a personal preference.
Chris says
Hi Andrew,
Thanks so much for stopping by! Cumin and paprika are pretty awesome. I like the idea of switching out for collard greens. I'll have to try it! Thanks for the tip.
Talaia says
Chris this looks delicious!
Jenn says
Oh man, I'm such a sucker for fried eggs. You can put a fried egg on anything and I'd probably eat it. Never knew sweet potatoes were so good for you...going to have to try this recipe.
Chris says
Jenn, I agree. Fried eggs make almost everything better!
Pat James says
I'm gonna try this tonight, but I think I might start by cooking up 4 strips of nitrate/nitrite free bacon, then cooking the veggies in the bacon grease. I'll make it as a side dish to grilled chicken breasts! 🙂
Chris says
Hi Pat,
You can never go wrong with bacon! Sounds great, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Thanks for stopping by,
Chris
Sham says
Just made this! It was so delicious!! Sweet potatoes make such good hashbrowns and go great with egg, kale and spices. Thank you 🙂
Chris says
Hi Sham,
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I agree. Sweet potatoes are pretty amazing!
Angela says
I tried this for breakfast today. It was amazing! I didn't have shallots so I had to sub in onion but it was still wonderful. Thank you for sharing a great way to use kale.
Chris says
So glad you enjoyed it! Onions are always a trusty stand-in 🙂 I do it all the time. I haven't made this hash for myself in a few weeks... you reminded me to maybe have it tomorrow morning!
Karla says
I'm on day 3 of the Whole 30 diet and this has was EXACTLY what I needed tonight. I did add red pepper, and I used homemade taco seasoning (which contains paprika and cumin, among other things.) It was terrific and will definitely be going in my rotation. Thanks!
Chris says
Hi Karla, so glad that this fit into your Whole 30 diet and that you loved it! Using taco seasoning is quite brilliant. I will definitely be trying that 🙂
Mr. K says
It seems like you have a great camera! It really highlights the beauty of this dish, and entices me to try it again. I continue to come to this site to try this recipe again and again. Thank you for sharing!
DiAnna says
Absolutely wonderful for brunch. It was a hit with my husband. A great way to use kale we will be using this recipe for a long time. Thanks for sharing
Chris says
So glad your husband loved it DiAnna! You're so right... it's a great way to get sneaky and add kale into the mix 🙂
cindy says
Made this tonight. Very tasty! And decadent with fried eggs.
Mel says
Hi Chris,
is there any way I can get the nutrition facts for this recipe?
Thanks, Mel
Chris says
Hi Mel, I don't have nutritional facts for this recipe, but there are nutritional calculators that you can use to do this for you. Here are some resources you can use:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
http://nutritiondata.self.com/mynd/myrecipes/welcome?returnto=/mynd/myrecipes
http://www.fitday.com/
Or just google "nutritional calculator" or something like that. Thanks so much and hope this helps!
Mel says
Hi Chris,
thanks a lot for answering!
The links sure will help 🙂
Take care!
Ashley says
I made this today for my mother and my 2 brothers. We all loved it and there were no leftovers. We had it as a side for meatloaf. Thank you for sharing and I will be trying more of your recipes. - Ashley
Chris says
So glad you and your family loved the hash! What a great idea to serve it as a side!
Jennifer says
I made this tonight with Poached eggs instead of fried. it was delish! i roasted the sweet potatoes, red bell pepper and onions in oven, then mixed with Kale! YUM!
Chris says
Ooo, poached eggs sounds fantastic! Love your variation on the recipe, Jennifer! So creative 🙂
sandra says
I made this for my husband and he was thrilled. The perfect breakfast! You can see my attempts here: http://meadowscooks.blogspot.com/2014/02/spinach-and-sweet-potato-hash-with.html
Chris says
Thanks so much for the kind words! So glad it got the husband approval! Heading over to check out your blog now!
surender says
Hii Chris!!!!
great combination of the vitamin, fat, protein and calories.
health benefits of potatoesinclude the..
skin friendly
Increases the brain function
Potatoes may offset incidence of kidney stones
Rich in protein
Sara says
This was the bomb.com Chris - even my partner who doesn't believe in a meal without meat gobbled it up. Happy plates all around.
Chris says
So glad you both loved it! That totally makes my day Sara!
Michelle says
We had this for breakfast this morning. I like syrup on traditional hashbrowns, so I drizzled a tiny bit of agave on top and have been craving more of this recipe all day! Thanks for the recipe, we will be making this again 🙂
Chris says
So glad you made this and liked it! The agave on top sounds wonderful!
Jen says
Was watching Chopped the other night and a contestant made a sweet potato and kale hash and I just happened to have sweet potatoes and kale in my fridge. Googled to find a recipe and stumbled across this one. Made this as a side dish to some grilled fish and both the hubby and I loved it! I'm excited to try more recipes from your blog. Thanks!!
Chris says
Awesome! So glad you guys loved it!!!
Rachel says
I love this recipe, so easy and delicious. It’s become one of my go-tos.
Wendy Carels says
Chris, this was excellent! I substituted a little red onion for the shollots, added a little butter (as suggested) and lemon juice. It was amazing! Served with ham and fried over easy egg! Will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Chris Cockren says
So glad you loved it! Thanks!!