To continue cooking immediately, lower the oven temperature to 425 F. Using the back of a large spoon, make 8 eight wells (or however many eggs you desire) in the hash. Crack an egg into each well. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Bake until the eggs are done to your liking, 8 to 10 minutes. Test the eggs by prodding them with a fork to check the firmness of the white and the yolk; baked eggs are deceptive in that the white often looks much less cooked than it really is.

Serve immediately, with shavings or sprinkles of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

To serve later:

To serve later, when you are ready to cook, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425 F. Spread a relatively thin layer of the sweet potato hash in a baking dish, such as a cast iron skillet or a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. You can also bake in individual ramekins. Make small wells in the sweet potatoes and crack an egg into each well. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.

Bake until the sweet potatoes are hot and the eggs are baked through, 10 to 20 minutes, testing the eggs by prodding them with a fork to check the firmness of the white and the yolk. (Baked eggs are deceptive in that the white often looks much less cooked than it really is.)

Serve immediately, with shavings or sprinkles of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Recipe notes

Alternate method: Some home cooks feel that roasting the sweet potatoes with the cooked sausage make the sausage too crispy and even a bit burnt. Personally, I like the sausage very crispy and dark, and I also like the flavor of the sweet potatoes when they're cooked with the sausage. But this is up to you -- you can roast the sweet potatoes separately while cooking the sausage and onions, which also speeds up the cooking process.

Make ahead: You can cook the sausage and onions a day ahead of time and refrigerate or even freeze them until you are ready to cook the sweet potatoes. The baked hash can also be refrigerated for up to one day before adding the eggs.

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

(Faith Durand is editor-in-chief of TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)