Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chorizo Hash with Fried Eggs

April 22, 2015

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chorizo Hash with Baked Eggs




Do you know the difference between white eggs and brown eggs?
I didn’t, until a couple of hours ago.
I usually buy cage-free, free-range, organic eggs from the Farmers’ Market but never cared about the color.
Sometimes they’re brown, other times they’re white. Every time they taste like, uhm...eggs. So I never give it too much of a thought.
Well, to be completely honest, I usually pick brown eggs because they feel more exotic to me not to mention that I like to support genetic diversity in chickens (HA!)
Anyways, I faced this quandary this morning as I looked in my fridge. There they were: 2 brown eggs and 2 white eggs. As I grabbed them, I wondered: is there a difference?

White and Brown Eggs




Apparently yes, but it’s not that important.
It’s all about the chicken: in general white-feathered chickens (with white ear lobes) lay white eggs while red-feathered ones (with red ear lobes) lay brown eggs.
Besides that, there are certain chickens that even lay blue, pink, green or even speckled eggs (and let me tell you — if you have never seen them — blue eggs are weird to look at).
But when you get down to the egg, nutritionally there is no difference — it's all just in the looks.
Meaning that the color of an egg is not an indicator of quality.

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chorizo Hash with Baked Eggs




Despite the fact that they're often more expensive, brown eggs aren't any better for you than white eggs, and vice versa.
The only thing that matters is the feed that was given to the chicken.
The feed determines the color of the yolk, the taste of the egg, and ultimately the quality of the egg.
The darker yellow/orange the egg yolk, the better quality/flavour of the egg.
Eggs from local farms or backyard coops taste better than those from overbred, mass-housed chickens because the chickens are allowed to roam free and thus have access to all the dirt, bugs and worms they could possibly wish for.
Believe it or not worms, bugs, kitchen scraps, etc. are a much better feed than GMO corn.
The chickens are happier, the eggs taste better, and are better for you.
Win-Win-Win.

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chorizo Hash with Baked Eggs




Whatever the color of the egg, one thing is sure: like peanut butter and jelly, eggs and hash are just meant to be served together. Especially when the egg is runny and it soaks into the hash.
If you know what I mean.
Hash is one of the easiest go-to breakfast’s that I LOVE and usually make to prep for the upcoming week.
I will make a big batch of hash on a Sunday and dipping out of it every morning for breakfast, lunch, sometimes even dinner. It’s perfect.
Another thing I love about hash is you get to play around with it every time.
It can literally be anything you have that you want to throw in to make your own.
This Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chorizo Hash has been one of my faves mixes lately.
There’s sweetness, freshness with just a bit of kick from the chorizo. So delicious.
And with that over easy egg...you can definitely call it a party!

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chorizo Hash with Baked Eggs


Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chorizo Hash with Fried Eggs                                    Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

3 large sweet potatoes (about 3 lbs), skin on, diced into ¼ to ½-inch cubes
3.5 oz / 100 gr Spanish chorizo, sliced
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ teaspoons fine grain salt, divided
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper

4 free-range organic eggs
Chopped fresh parsley to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) and place a rack in the middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add chorizo slices and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until crispy. Transfer chorizo to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring every now and then, until onions are soft and translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a large bowl toss diced sweet potatoes with the olive oil, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, and a pinch of ground black pepper.
When the onions are done, stir them into the sweet potatoes.
Add spinach to the skillet and saute’ for 2 minutes, until just wilted. Stir spinach into the sweet potatoes as well.
Spread sweet potato mixture in one layer on the lined baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring at least a couple of times, until the sweet potatoes are soft and browned.
Let the hash cool, stir in the chorizo, and store it in a covered container (or Ziploc bag) in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
To serve, heat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Spread hash in a thin layer in a baking dish or a cast iron skillet (alternatively, you can bake the hash in individual ramekins) season with salt and pepper and bake in the hot oven until heated, about 5 minutes.
In the meantime heat a skillet over medium, and gently crack eggs into skillet without breaking yolks; season with salt and pepper. Cook until whites are almost set, about 1 minute. Cover, turn off heat, and let stand until whites are just set but yolks are still soft, about 2 minutes more. 
Serve eggs over hash and sprinkle chopped parsley on top.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 430 calories, 30 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs, and 15 grams of protein.

26 comments:

  1. Yum... What a delicious combination! I'm certainly going to have to try this out!

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  2. I am definitely in a rut cooking-wise. I may try this.

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    1. It's always a good thing to be in a cooking rut. Am I right?

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  3. This hash looks straight legit, Mike! I've always wanted to raise chickens. That sounds like a very upstate thing to do. But I'm guessing my dogs (and my wife) might have an issue with that. We do have a neighbor several blocks over that has a sign out for fresh eggs, and now I kinda want to stop by and see what the deal is there. Although fresh eggs from some guys backyard scare me a bit. Not sure why...they just do. Either way, this hash looks like breakfast, lunch and dinner all rolled into one. And that's the way the Wolfpack does it. #WolfpackEggScience

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    1. I don't see anything scary with fresh eggs from some guys backyard. But maybe I'm more of a trusting person than you... :)

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  4. This looks lovely! In England it is rare to find white eggs, in supermarkets/grocery stores they are mostly brown so this was quite interesting!

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    1. It's quite the opposite over here. The rule is white eggs, while brown eggs are the exception. Things are changing though...

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  5. I had oats for breakfast - and then I see this! Now, am hungry again!!! Sweet potatoes, spinach and chorizo is pretty darn fantastic - but a runny egg just makes that whole combo awesmazing!
    Today I learned something new - I had not clue about the coloring behind different eggs - even though my uncle had a small chicken farm when I was young - thanks Mike!

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    1. So many thing you learn from visiting TIY, am I right?

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  6. What an interesting read and what a good-looking dish Mike. Loved it!

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  7. booyah! oh yeah happy tummy dance right there Mike

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  8. Wow, I never knew that about the eggs- I just thought they were delicious and a daily staple...but blue eggs?! Okay, that's just insane!

    I love that you used chorizo in this- Definitely one of my favourite meats!

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    1. You should see green eggs then...they're really, but really weird!

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  9. There is no comparison between an egg from my brother's farm with his free roaming chickens and any other eggs.

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  10. Looks so yummy! I have to try this recipe :)

    cocojeans.blogspot.pt

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  11. Mm love me some chorizo! Great recipe, Mike!

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  12. Sound slike a winner breaky to me!
    As for the chickens, my buddy has a farm and raises them free-range. They are everywhere, I personally couldn't handle the mess, but the eggs? Holy crap, the colored shells and the yolks!
    When I first cracked one open it was so orange I thought it bad and he told me all is good, it's the feed and enjoy. I did. :)

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    1. Chickens are a mess indeed to raise but the eggs, oh the eggs...

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  13. I love your idea of prepping this ahead for weekday breakfasts! I've grown up having chickens most of my life, so I've been super spoiled with bright orange yolks!

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