Sunday Afternoon Breakfast

That's right. I said Sunday afternoon breakfast. Breakfast is traditionally the first meal of the day (you know, to break one's fast) and since we all know I'm not a morning person, that usually means well after noon on my days off. Today was definitely no exception after the, um, late night I had last night. I got up around 7:30am just long enough to feed the boys and let Sea outside, then we all went back to bed until just after noon. God I love Sundays! So, allow me to present today's offering of an epicurean adventure, Sweet Potato Hash, best served (in my opinion) with iced coffee:

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (and no, I don't peel my potatoes because, hello? a good number of nutrients are in the skin and besides that, I like the added texture and taste and I might just be a little lazy when it comes to peeling potatoes)

3-4 slices of turkey bacon, diced

leftover sauted veg (remember this stuff from earlier in the week? it included shallots, red bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, and celery)

3-4 chicken breast strips, diced (man, those pre-packaged chicken strips are so versatile and convenient!)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. olive oil

goat cheese (I'm pretty sure blue cheese would be good here too... if you like pungent moldy cheese)

3-4 fresh basil leaves, torn

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

So this is another easy to prepare dish but packs a real flavor punch. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the sweet potatoes, salt, dried basil, and red pepper flakes in olive oil and cook, covered, for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't be tempted to jack the heat up any higher than medium because the higher sugar content/lower starch of the sweet potato will burn before cooking all the way through. Once the potatoes are just shy of fork tender, toss in the turkey bacon and leftover veg and continue to cook, uncovered, for another 4-5 minutes or until the bacon starts to crisp and the potatoes turn golden brown and delicious. Add in the diced chicken to reheat in the last minute or so. To serve, remove from the heat and top with the crumbled goat cheese (it's creamy tanginess is fantastic against the salty bite of the turkey bacon), scatter with the torn fresh basil leaves, and crank on some fresh coarse ground black pepper.

Enjoy!