Mexican Breakfast Hash

Happy Saturday, y'all!

I decided to share our brunch from today because it's raining out and I'm full and happy and it's one of my faves. It's basically my favorite hashbrowns topped with lots of Mexican goodness, cheese and a (preferably runny) fried egg. YUM. I love it because it's super easy and versatile. You can omit the meat and sub for extra veggies, maybe mushrooms and tomato??

Let me know what you think!!

Servings: 2
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
- 4 small red potatoes
- 1/3 C shredded monterey jack, or whatever cheese you like
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 lb chorizo OR ground beef/turkey (I like the chicken chorizo sausage made fresh from Sprouts!)
- 1/2 packet of taco seasoning (if using ground beef/turkey)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- onion powder, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- paprika, to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- cooking spray
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
- 1/2 avocado, diced, optional

Instructions:

For the hashbrowns: 
- Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork and microwave whole for 2-3 minutes until fork tender, flipping halfway through
- Dice your potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl
- Spray lightly with cooking spray while you flip the potatoes in the bowl to make sure they all get some coverage
- Season potatoes generously with salt, pepper, garlic, powder, onion powder and paprika. I like to shake my mixing bowl in one hand to move the potatoes around while I sprinkle the seasonings on top to make sure they get evenly seasoned.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over med-high heat and add seasoned potatoes
- Make sure all the potatoes have some contact with the pan and let them brown for about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally

For the meat and veggies: 
- Brown your meat in a skillet over medium heat and add seasoning according to package directions. You will only need half the packet for 1/2 lb of meat. If you're using chorizo you can skip the seasoning.
- Add diced bell pepper and onion (or whatever other veggies you're using) to the pan and let them cook and soften for 3-4 minutes.
- Once done, add your meat and veggies to the skillet with the potatoes and turn the heat to low to keep warm
**If you are making a meatless version, use taco seasoning (according to package directions) to season your veggies and cook until softened. Add to potatoes when finished.

For the eggs: 
- Spray the skillet you used to cook the meat and veggies with cooking spray and reduce that burner to medium.
- Crack your eggs on opposite sides of the pan to keep separate and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Cook for a few minutes on each side until the egg whites are set the the yolk is the consistency you prefer (test it by gently pushing on the yolk to see how set it is).

To put it all together, divide the hashbrown, meat and veggie mixture evenly on two plates. Sprinkle cheese on top evenly between both servings. Top each serving with a fried egg and sprinkle with chopped cilantro/diced avocado if desired.

Look how pretty!!!