Quick and Easy Cowboy Hash

This post brought to you by Simply Potatoes. All opinions are 100% mine.

Growing up, I remember my mom occasionally pulling out aaaalll the fancy stops on busy nights by making Cowboy Hash for dinner. Hashbrowns, ground beef, and onion, topped with ketchup. It doesn't get much classier than this, folks, and I even remember her telling me once that she only called it 'Cowboy Hash' because she hoped her 3 small boys would think it was exciting to eat something with 'cowboy' in the title. (I tried emphasizing this point with Forrest while I was cooking--he got confused and kept calling it Farmer Dinner, so the effectiveness of this technique is debatable.)

It was simple and fast and I remember enjoying it. I wanted to try making something similar with Simply Potatoes, and thought I'd try jazzing it up just a tad from the way my mom used to make it.

At its core, it's the same humble, filling, easy dinner my mom used to make . . . I just added a little more Southwestern flair and color. It's a really yummy dinner that we all enjoyed, and my favorite part just might be that there was only one dish to wash in the end. One-dish dinners are my love language.

I believe I remember my mom using frozen hashbrowns when making Cowboy Hash. I've also made it with fresh potatoes before (but of course the peeling and slicing and dicing kind of eats away at the 'quick and easy dinner!' title). This time, I used Simply Potatoes--this product was new to me, but quickly won me over. They are packaged and fully prepared potatoes, fresh (never frozen!), located in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. No peeling or cutting involved, and they had all the flavor and texture of fresh potatoes without the work. They definitely earned a thumbs up from me. I think they'd be a great staple to have on hand to pull together quick kid-friendly nutritious dinners, or whip up all sorts of breakfast recipes (perfect to save time in the morning if you want to make a great meal for overnight guests!). We're big fans of brinner (breakfast for dinner) around here, so this is a quick way to make that happen.  

Start out by browning your ground beef (you could also use ground turkey for a lower fat option, or breakfast sausage or chorizo if you want to up the flavor), then add the spices and potatoes to the skillet (I used the diced potatoes with onion, which saved yet another step--no onion chopping!).

Once the potatoes are tender in the center with crispy edges, I tossed in a few handfuls of chopped spinach to add a little color as well as some extra nutrients. 

Once the spinach is wilted, just remove the hash to a plate and use the same skillet to fry some eggs. While they cooked, I shredded some Cheddar and tossed it over the hash to melt, and chopped some tomato and green onion to sprinkle over the hash. Serve up each plate with a deliciously silky fried egg, and boom. Seriously like a 15-minute dinner, with one skillet to wash up afterward, plus it's pretty healthy and so delicious, too.

Cowboy Hash

1/2 pound ground beef (or turkey, or breakfast sauge, or chorizo)
1 bag Simply Potatoes (diced with onion flavor)
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
2 teaspoons olive oil
3-5 eggs
1 tomato, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the ground beef. When the beef is fully cooked, add the potatoes, diced green chiles, and spices. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add spinach and cook 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Remove from skillet.

Add olive oil to skillet and, once it is hot, add the eggs. Fry until whites are set. 

Top the hash with cheese, tomato, and green onion, and top each serving with a fried egg.

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