Breakfast Potato Boats

The other day I posted a barbeque chicken baked potato recipe and mentioned how much I love using a simple baked potato as the base for a delicious and easy dinner.  Well it turns out that baked potatoes also make for a pretty amazing breakfast that is still easy enough to prepare for yourself on a weekday morning, or elegant enough to serve to guests for brunch!

I first saw the idea for a breakfast potato boat on Inn Cuisine a while ago, but their version calls for hollowing out a potato, filling it with scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon, and using the scooped-out potato to make hashbrowns on the side.  I thought it was a pretty creative breakfast idea, but that it might be even better to use the scooped out potato as part of the potato filling, mixed in with the eggs and cheese, kind of like a breakfast version of a twice-baked potato.

I couldn't wait to try this out for myself, but leaving out the bacon for a vegetarian version, using less eggs since I was using potatoes in the filling to make up for it, and adding salsa to liven the whole thing up a bit!

These turned out so much better than I'd even hoped!  While the components are simple - fluffy baked potato mixed with scrambled eggs, melted cheese, and some salsa - the taste was amazing and made for a fun twist on breakfast.  The dish also made for a nice presentation, so I think it would be great to make a big batch of these to serve to guests.  As I mentioned at the start of this post though, you can also quickly make them for yourself by baking the potato the night before, then all you have to do in the morning is cook the egg and mix everything together, then give it a quick reheat in the  microwave!

You could also get really creative with these if you want something a bit fancier - try adding in black beans and a spicy cheese for more of a tex-mex flair, add bacon or sausage for a meat version, or add spinach and other veggies for a more nutritious breakfast!

After a successful Mother's Day breakfast of crepes and fruit on Sunday, I'm already thinking ahead to Father's Day and thinking that these might be a nice addition!  That reminds me that I'll have to share some of the amazing food we enjoyed for Mother's Day soon - Hope you all spoiled your moms or were spoiled by your kids!  Did any of you have anything special to eat on Sunday?

Breakfast Stuffed Potato Boats

Inspired by Inn Cuisine

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large russet potato

2 large eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar but a Pepper Jack or Mexican blend would be good too)

Salsa

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Scrub potato, then pierce several times with a fork. Rub the skin with olive oil and a bit of salt.  Place directly on the middle rack of the oven, with a pan underneath to catch any drippings.  Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, until cooked through and soft.

Let the potato cool slightly, then cut potato in half lengthwise.  Use a spoon to scoop out the insides of each half, leaving about 1/4” layer of potato on the skin.  Transfer the scooped out potato to a small bowl and mash with a fork.

Scramble eggs in a non-stick skillet until almost done but still slightly wet.  Transfer the eggs to the bowl with the mashed potato. Add cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper, then mix thoroughly. 

Spoon the mixture into the shelled out potato skins.  Heat potatoes in a microwave on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until potatoes are hot, cheese is melted, and eggs are completely cooked.  Spoon salsa on top, then serve (with additional salsa on the side, if desired).

*Note: I baked my potato the night before, then kept it in the refrigerator.  In the morning, I reheated it in the microwave then proceeded with the rest of the directions.