TheKitchn.com

I have told you that brunch is my favorite meal of the day, and winter is perhaps the high point for brunch. But while I am looking forward to these sleepy morning meals, I have to admit that many brunch recipes are too sweet for me. If a sweet monkey bread with a gooey glaze showed up, it certainly wouldn't go to waste, but I would need something else too; something to nourish and satisfy. I need something savory to start the day off right.

The other requirement for a good brunch recipe, of course, is that it be easy to make ahead. Because who can roll out dough and fry potatoes before breakfast? Not me. So I must tell you about my make-ahead favorite recipe for a big family brunch: savory, garlicky sweet potato hash, roasted with sausage and rosemary, and baked the next day with eggs on top.

This entire thing is made ahead. (No chopping sweet potatoes at 9 a.m.) In the morning, you spread the refrigerated hash in a big pan and crack a few eggs on top, then slide it into a hot oven and go make coffee. When you come back, the potatoes will be hot and crisped and the eggs just baked. Easy, nourishing, delicious -- your kitchen will smell amazing, and you'll be ready to serve a crowd.

This recipe is also very vegetarian-friendly. You can leave the sausage out entirely, or substitute Soy-Rizo or another vegetarian sausage. And it's flexible; the proportions are all quite forgiving.

A couple other small notes: I leave the potato skins on, for convenience and for flavor, so I really do prefer organic potatoes given that their skins are staying on. Also, if you can find Italian sausage with fennel seed, scoop it up for this dish; it's delicious with the sweet potatoes.

This feeds at least eight, and I think it really could be stretched to more, depending on how many eggs you bake, and what else is served.

Sweet Potato Hash with Caramelized Onions, Sausage & Eggs

Serves 8

Prep time: 30 minutes; cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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