The Painted Apron

Take out Tuesday, Hash Brown Muffins 4 Ways!

Posted by the Painted Apron on January 15, 2013 · 13 Comments 

The other day I had some fun playing around with a bag of refrigerated hash brown potatoes.  I ended up with 4 easy, satisfying, no guilt hash brown “muffins!” The breakfast version of these can be made ahead, popped in the microwave and grabbed on your way out the door for a delicious low cal version of a fattening fast food breakfast sandwich. A great way to start your Tuesday!

At 70 calories per 1/2 cup serving, these potatoes are a healthy choice too.  A muffin tin and some Olive oil spray and you are on your way to some delicious potato “muffins.”

The first version I made was a simple side dish to go with the Crimson Tide Chicken we had the other night.  Because there was some cheese in the chicken dish and I wanted something lighter than a fat loaded hash brown casserole, I decided to try just baking the hash browns in a muffin tin.

I chopped up some green onions and made a layer of them in the middle of the potatoes

I put a layer of potatoes in the sprayed tins and added the chopped green onion and covered it with more potatoes

A little salt & pepper, a drizzle of Olive oil and then I baked them at 350 for 1 hour.

They were crispy, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with a little green onion flavor to keep things interesting.  This feels like a decadent side dish like french fries or onion rings without the fat and calories. HH and HHjr gave it the thumbs up!

The whole hash brown thing started from a recipe on the January Paint Bucket called HASH BROWN CHEDDAR CRISPS.  Well, I couldn’t find the recipe.  In all my organizing, I organized it somewhere I don’t remember.  I couldn’t even find it with Google.  Such is life, and an opportunity to create my own, which I would have probably done anyway!

OK, pay close attention here…this is complicated.  I made the Cheddar cheese version by putting grated cheese in between the potato layers instead of the green onion.

I know, you were expecting rocket science…

I topped the cheese layer with another layer of potato and baked it for 30 minutes.   A little salt and it was HEAVEN!  This would make a great little appetizer bite or a salad side.

Then I made some breakfast versions, one muffin has a pre-baked potato shell then filled with a raw egg and baked, and the other is a quiche version with ham, Swiss and green onion.

I topped the baked egg with just a few sprinkles of cheddar when it came out of the oven

and it turned out to be my favorite.

I baked this egg for 17 minutes and it was still just a little liquid, and very yummy.  Cook longer or shorter depending on how you like the yoke.

How is this for a beautiful, healthy breakfast? Grapefruit are at their peak right now, and I love them for breakfast with a piece of toast or this delicious quiche style hash brown muffin.  This muffin has less than 1/2 cup of potatoes, 1/2 egg, a couple of pieces of diced ham and a sprinkling of grated Swiss.  It has about 150 calories and very little fat, just enough for some flavor.

I hope you will try one or all of these! Very easy, very good!

Which one appeals the most to you?

The inspiration for these dishes came from a recipe on the January Paint Bucket, HASH BROWN CHEDDAR CRISPS

HASH BROWN MUFFINS 4 WAYS

These can be made ahead and frozen for a grab and go breakfast

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Ingredients

  

Basic Hashbrown Muffins

• 1/2 cup thawed frozen shredded hashbrowns thawed
• chopped green onion

Cheddar Hashbrown Muffins

• 2 Tbsp grated cheddar per muffin

Baked Egg Muffin

• 1 egg per muffin

Quiche Hashbrown Muffin

• 1/2 cup thawed frozen shredded hashbrowns
• cooked ham, bacon or sausage pieces
• chopped green onions
• grated cheese of choice
• 1/2 egg per muffin
• cream

Instructions

 

Basic Hashbrown Muffins

• Place half of potatoes in a well sprayed muffin tin. Top with green onion and another layer of potato. Bake at 350 until potato muffins are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, 30-40 minutes. Serve 2 “muffins” per person as a side dish with grilled meat.

Cheddar Hashbrown Muffins

• Prepare as above, substituting extra sharp Cheddar for the green onion, about 2 Tablespoon of grated cheese per muffin. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve as an appetizer, or a side dish with salad, soup or a meal.

Baked Egg Muffins

• Make a shell by pressing some potatoes into the bottom and up the sides of a sprayed muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Carefully break a raw egg into the baked crust and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes until the egg is done to your liking. Top with some grated cheese if desired.

Quiche Hashbrown Muffins

• Fill 2 sprayed muffin tins 1/2 way with potato. Top with chopped ham, cooked bacon or sausage. Add chopped green onion and grated cheese. Beat 1 egg with a little cream and pour 1/2 of each mixture carefully into filled tins, gently pressing mixture down into the ingredients. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of tin and gently ease muffins out onto a plate. Makes 2. Can be refrigerated or frozen.

Notes

Time will depend on your oven, size of muffins, and the type of pan used. Check after 20 minutes and continue checking every 5 minutes until the muffins are done

If you use a mini muffin pan check after 10-15 minutes

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