Ham and Cheese Hash Browns

One of our favorite breakfasts is a one skillet hash brown meal. I have been cooking this for so long that I do not remember where the idea came from. My husband used to not be too fond of this, so it became a meal I cooked for myself when he was at work. Shane liked it so he would eat it with me, but Devin never liked potatoes so I always had to make him something different. It is Shaylee’s favorite meal and John has now decided that he likes it, so we have it for a family breakfast quite often.

If we are all eating it, I cook an entire bag of diced hash browns. It is easy to adjust the amount if you are cooking for just 1 or 2 by adjusting the amount of hash browns you start with. You could also use the kind that has peppers and onions in them if you prefer. It would be easy to change this up by adding your favorite vegetables, mushrooms, or cheese.

I just pour a little oil in the bottom of a non-stick skillet and add the hash browns and some salt and pepper.

Stir them up to make sure the oil, salt and pepper gets evenly distributed throughout the hash browns. Turn the heat down to low and cover. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally to keep them from burning.

While the potatoes are cooking, I get the ham out and tear it up into small pieces. I use a shaved ham so I use about 7-9 slices per person. Then I cut Velvetta up in chunks, I use 1-2 slices per person depending on how thick I cut them. I usually cut the slices somewhere between 1/4-1/2″ thick.

When the potatoes are soft and fully cooked they will be browned a little and will start to break down when you stir them.

I spread the ham over the top and then layer the cheese on and place the lid back on to allow the cheese to melt. Once you have put the lid on, wait about 30 seconds for the heat to generate again, then turn off the heat. After about 10 minutes the cheese will be melted and the hash browns will be ready to eat.

 

I like to eat mine with ketchup, my husband likes eggs with his, but my daughter eats hers just like they are. I have added eggs to them before when I didn’t have enough hash browns to make them go farther. The eggs are a good addition, but if I add eggs, I can’t add ketchup so I rarely add eggs.

Ham and Cheese Hash Browns

Ingredients

1 32 oz package diced hash browns

2 tbsp oil

20-25 slices of extra thin ham

8 oz Velvetta

Salt

Pepper

Place large skillet on high heat, add oil and hash browns, salt and pepper to taste. Stir hash browns to distribute oil, salt and pepper throughout hash browns. Cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until the hash browns are soft and fully cooked. While they are cooking, shred the ham into small pieces and cut the cheese up into small chunks. When they are cooked, spread the ham over the potatoes and add the cheese to the top, cover, turn off heat and allow the cheese to melt. Once the cheese is melted, it is ready to serve.

Do you have a favorite breakfast? How do you cook hash browns? Leave a comment and let me know what you think if you try the recipe.

Here are a couple of other breakfast ideas you might like – Too Many Baked Potatoes? and Sweet Rice.

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