Those who know me, know that I love potatoes…My childhood moniker was ‘Ms. Potato Head’, and no, it did not involve those cute and crazy little potato head characters…it was actually because I loved potatoes so much. My family always knew that if there were potatoes on the menu, they had better get to the table early, or they were all gone. My family always made extra, but we always seemed to have the same problem.
Today’s recipe was inspired by something I saw online for a potato burrito filled with refried beans, guacamole and salsa. This sounded absolutely incredible, but on this particular lazy Saturday morning, I was after something that was more appropriate to serve as a brunch item. I found myself staring at a few potatoes, eggs and thick cut organic bacon that I had picked up at the farmer’s market, and started wondering about that potato burrito…And how delicious a crispy potato burrito would taste wrapped around a creamy egg salad and fried bacon. Before you knew it, I was off and running… I found a little secret while making the potato burrito and that was to use a few tablespoons of dehydrated potato flakes…you know the ones you would use to make instant mashed potatoes. This was a great addition, because unlike other potato cakes, this did not have any eggs or other liquid in it…only the moisture from the potatoes. The dehydrated potato absorbed the moisture and behaved like ‘spackle” in the final product, filling in all of the crevices created by the shreds of potato, and making it easier to roll. This recipe worked really well, and it got me thinking about other recipes you could make with this newfound potato wrap. Of course you could use fried or scrambled eggs in addition to the bacon, or you could make a very thin omelet, and lay that on top of the potato burrito and roll the whole thing up together. You can also add an herbed cream cheese and smoked salmon, or even go so far as creating a Mediterranean burrito with a hummus or an eggplant filling along with some kalamata olives and feta cheese. The possibilities are truly endless…and delicious!
***An original recipe from www.goodfoodgourmet.com
Brunch Potato Burrito (serves 2)
2 medium potatoes, peeled & shredded
¼ cup olive oil (or use the bacon fat)
4 Tablespoons dehydrated potato flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 Tablespoon dried chives
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Salt (add after frying)
3 boiled eggs
1 teaspoon dill relish **optional
2-3 Tablespoons mayo (preferably homemade if possible)
¼ pound of bacon, chopped & fried
First, add your eggs to a small pot of cold water and boil for about 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain several times with very cold water to prevent the shell from sticking to the egg. Next, cook your bacon and set aside. I chopped mine up into pieces because they were thick cut, but you can leave it into large strips if you prefer and cook down until very crispy. Reserve the bacon fat if you would like to cook the potato burrito in that. Peel and shred your potatoes and add to a medium sized mixing bowl. Add in the dehydrated potatoes, potato flakes, chives, parsley, onion & garlic powder along with the black pepper. Mix well and allow the potato flakes to hydrate with the natural liquid from the potato for about 2 minutes.
Heat about 4 tablespoons of oil (or bacon fat) and add the potato, spreading it out with your fingers until it completely covers the bottom of a 12”skillet. Once you have added the potato, tuck in the edges so they don’t burn too fast, because this will take a few minutes to cook on moderate heat. While this is cooking, peel and chop your eggs, add the mayo and dill relish and set aside. After cooking the potato for about 10 minutes, gently lift a piece of the potato with a spatula so you can check the cooking progress. It should be starting to turn a nice golden color after about 10 minutes, and if it is not quite ready, give it a few more minutes. You know that it is ready to flip when the edges start becoming golden and crispy.
Once it is golden brown, you will need to flip it to cook the other side. Put a plate over the potato and flip the whole thing onto a large flat plate. Add the rest of the oil into the pan and then slide the potato back in to cook the other side.
When it is completely cooked, turn it out onto a large plate and fill with the egg salad and bacon pieces and roll one side over the filling and then the other side over that.
Serve warm and enjoy…
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