Brunch: Part 2

In part 1 of the series, I shared a recipe for Baked Omelet Roll.  Today, I want to share a recipe for a side dish that's equally good with breakfast as it is with lunch items on a brunch menu.

Most restaurants serve potatoes with breakfast and brunch, usually home fries or hash browns.  I also serve potatoes, but in the form of Potatoes O'Brien.

Potatoes O'Brien are potatoes cooked with chopped bell pepper -- either red or green -- and onion.  I use equal parts of bell pepper and onion which keeps either ingredient from overpowering the potatoes.  Since I use green pepper, I add diced pimentos -- sweet red pepper -- for color.  Pimentos add a burst of color without adding much flavor.

Potatoes O'Brien without pimentos.

Potatoes O'Brien with pimentos.

Unlike most recipes for Potatoes O'Brien, this one starts with steak fries -- large flat shaped French fries -- instead of fresh potatoes.  This makes the dish quicker to prepare because you don't have to peel potatoes.  Because frozen French fries have already been partially cooked, the cooking time is minimal.

The steak fries need to be diced into cubes approximately the same size.

The fries are too hard to cut when frozen.  Remove however many fries you think you'll need from the bag and let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before dicing.  If you need more potatoes, repeat the process.

The pepper, onion and pimentos are cooked in butter until the onion is tender.  Add the potatoes and seasonings and cook until the potatoes are browned and heated, 15 to 25 minutes.  If you're serving the potatoes with Baked Omelet Roll, start cooking the potatoes before you start the omelet.  This way, the omelet won't get cold while the potatoes finish cooking.

Next week, I'll share a recipe that will make a sweet ending to this brunch trilogy.

Potatoes O'Brien 

4 Servings

1/3 cup chopped bell pepper

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 Tbsp. diced pimentos, drained

1/4 cup butter or margarine

3 1/2 cups diced frozen steak fries

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add bell pepper, onion and pimentos; cook until the onion is tender.  Reduce heat to medium.  Stir in potatoes, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are browned and heated, 15 to 25 minutes.

© Margaret's Morsels