What a strange August we have been having! Temps in the low 80’s during the day, and cool breeziness at night. Maybe it’s not so strange after all. Maybe I have simply grown so accustomed to expecting oppressively hot and humid August weather over the years, that something nice and clement just blows my mind.

I would never have considered making a skillet breakfast last year, for instance, as it was too hot to make something that has to be baked in a cast-iron!

But this year, it didn’t feel out of place.  Plus, it was a great way to use the casing-less breakfast sausage from my CSA.

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes

1 pound of loose or bulk pork breakfast sausage

2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

8 eggs

2-3 tablespoons of green onions, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese

Special equipment:

A cast-iron skillet

A box grater

How to prepare:

1. Set your oven to 350°.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the potatoes and parboil them for about 6 to 8 minutes, depending on how big they are. They shouldn’t totally raw, but the potatoes shouldn’t be completely cooked through either. Drain them, and set them aside until they are relatively cool enough to handle.

3. While the potatoes are boiling, brown the breakfast sausage in a large cast-iron skillet. Break up any lumps with a wooden spoon. When the sausage is done (you should no longer see any pink, and the meat should be browned in spots), remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and set it aside.

4. Peel the potatoes. Using a box grater, coarsely shred each one.

5. Wipe out your cast-iron pan, and heat between 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in it over medium heat. Add the potatoes. Season them with salt and pepper. Toss them in the oil until they are evenly coated. Press the shredded potatoes into an even cake against the bottom of the skillet. Let the potato cake brown slowly on the stove top.

6. Meanwhile, whisk together the 8 eggs with the green onions.

7. When the potato cake is starting to brown on the bottom, and the potato shreds are beginning to turn a little translucent, add the egg mixture to the pan. Scatter the shredded cheese on top of the eggs. Let the eggs set up for about a minute or two before putting the skillet in the oven. Bake it for about 15-20 minutes, until the top is golden and puffed. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.