One of my mother’s favorite breakfasts to prepare for our family has always been German Farmer’s Breakfast, also known as Bauernfruhstuck. I remember eating this several times a month as a kid. It’s sort of like a large breakfast hash of potatoes and ham or bacon, with onions and bell pepper and some egg mixed in. It’s a hearty meal, and I imagine just the sort of breakfast that a German farmer might eat. Our last name being Bauer, no wonder we like foods like this. I love mine with a lot of ketchup. A great use of leftover ham.
German Farmer’s Breakfast Recipe
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INGREDIENTS
- 3 large potatoes, skinned and quartered lengthwise
- 3 Tbsp bacon fat or olive oil
- 2 cups roughly chopped green and white onions (include the greens from the green onions)
- 2 cups roughly chopped bell peppers
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 cups chopped ham
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 4 eggs, whisked
METHOD
1 Boil the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted water for 10-15 minutes until just cooked (test for doneness). Drain, rinse with cold water to cool. Cut into 1-inch squares. Set aside.
2 Heat 2 Tbsp bacon fat (or olive oil) in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and chopped bell peppers. Increase the heat to high. Brown the onions and bell peppers, stirring frequently, about 2-3 minutes.
3 Push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the potatoes and another Tbsp of bacon fat (or olive oil) to the pan. Brown the potatoes for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle on salt to taste as you cook. Add the ham to the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently until the ham is heated through, 1-2 minutes.
4 Mix all of the vegetables, potato and ham together and mix in the parsley. Add the eggs, stirring to distribute the eggs among the vegetables and ham. As soon as eggs begin to firm up, remove from heat.
Serve immediately. Great with ketchup on top.