Hungry for Hashbrowns

Advertising can be wonderful. After all, watching the television can give people all sorts of ideas about products ranging from the Shamwow to the Snuggie, from the Magic Bullet food processor to the Ronco dehydrator and jerky maker. The best commercials are those that pique our interest and spur us to action - even if we don't buy the advertised product.

Such is the case with an IHOP commercial I saw a couple of days ago. The restaurant was touting its latest creation - loaded hashbrowns. Since I've never met a potato I didn't like, my eyes were glued to the screen and my mouth began to water at the sight of the heaping bowl of slightly crispy hashbrowns smothered in sauteed peppers and onions, crumbled bacon, and country gravy. The thought of this luscious breakfast rattled around my brain, taunting me each morning, until I gave in to it today.

My version is slightly different, but every bit as tempting as the steaming mixture on t.v. While the O'brien potatoes cooked, I sauteed red bell peppers and mushrooms in olive oil. After removing the veggies from the skillet I added some chopped up left over Italian sausage to the skillet and cooked it until it turned a lovely caramel brown. Then, I used the pan drippings to make thick and creamy gravy. By the time the gravy was bubbling, the hashbrowns were ready. I stirred them together with the veggies, sausage, and some grated cheddar cheese before divying up the mixture into bowls and topping it with the hot gravy.

The result of all this cooking, stirring, and bubbling was a breakfast fit for a king. The potatoes had some crunchy bits that added texture to the gravy's creaminess. The bright red of the bell peppers looked good with the golden hashbrowns, and the mushrooms were a nice complement to the sausage. The three of us devoured our portions quickly, making me glad there was a fourth bowl already tucked into the fridge for tomorrow morning - after all, I'm always the first one up.