Brunch Hermit
Perhaps because usually enjoyed on the weekends when we tend to “over-party”, that meal neatly tucked in between breakfast and lunch, brunch, is just as restorative as it is convivial. Warm summer months lend us the patios to pour onto for our runny eggs, buttered toast, pancakes glazed with bourbon-maple syrup and Bloody Marys over-flowing with meals of their own. For those actually nursing their hangovers rather than opting for a little “hair-of-the-dog” remedy there are always gourmet coffee drinks (think: chai tea married with espresso and frothed milk!) or fresh-squeezed juices. I love, Love, LOVE going out for brunch on the weekends. Catching up with friends over a boozy meal in the sun, trying the special eggs benedict and watching people pass-by in the city streets not only sets the weekend off right, but can also be a great cap to it. Having said that, it is lovely to lie around in bed until past noon, walk around the house in old yet well-loved t-shirts and enjoy brunch at home without having to look in a mirror entirely.
I wanted potato, egg and velvety avocado all wrapped up into one, neat, dish. I believe I succeeded. What you see is a toasted half of a pretzel roll topped with hash browns, avocado, a poached egg and then finished off with salsa. Placing a couple crisped pieces of bacon alongside this would not be remiss.
Here is a relatively easy hash brown recipe. I like my potatoes unadulterated when served with eggs, bacon and breakfasty things in general but I am sure the addition of cheese and/or onions would be delicious.
Hash Browns
Ingredients
- 2 large potatoes
- 1/2-1 c vegetable oil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Clean the potatoes extremely well, there is no need for peeling unless you really prefer to. Using the coarse side of a cheese grater grate the potatoes into a bowl. Take the potatoes in a cheese cloth over the sink and squeeze as much moisture as you can out of them. Place potatoes back in bowl and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1/2-3/4 cup oil, depending on the size of the pan in a good-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes to the pan and press down gently to make a flat cake. Do not stir. Cook on medium-high until bottom turns golden brown, about 10-12 minutes, and turn over. This can be done more easily by placing a plate on top of the skillet and flipping the entire skillet then gently sliding the hash brown back into the pan from the plate. Add more oil to pan if necessary and cook the other side until both sides are golden and crispy.
One of these weekends I really should muster up the stamina for a 45 plus minute wait at The Bongo Room…
