Hash Brown Muffins

If you're not a sweets for breakfast person, don't let the name of these little guys fool you.  There is nothing sweet about these - they are savory and salty and cheesy and bacony.  Plus if you cheat like I did and use pre-shredded potatoes they're so freakin' easy to make.  Not to mention they're portable, can be made the night before and reheated (or if you're CA, reheated days later) and for all you gluten haters (or lovers who just can't) they're gluten free.

If you're being ambitious and shredding your own potatoes, good for you.  Do that.  After you're done, cook up a few strips of bacon. 

 Mix in some eggs, cheese, green onions, salt and pepper..

Put all that into a muffin tin.  I love my square muffin tin - it's my favorite to use for individual brownies, but it's perfect for these too.

My only concern with this type of thing is that it won't stay together.  I've had way too many experiences trying to get something out of a muffin tin and having it fall apart on me.  However, all the cheese and eggs in here guarantee hash brown stick-togetherness.

I made these to eat on a train ride to NYC for my GFF's birthday (and another special reason we'll talk about in a few days).  I wanted a savory breakfast option that was portable to fuel us through our big day of continuous eating (I'm pretty sure I didn't go two hours without eating the entire time I was there) - which makes no sense but somehow seemed necessary at the time. I baked them the night before and stuck them back in the oven to reheat in the morning while I was getting ready.  They were perfectly portable and absolutely delicious.  These are definitely going in the normal rotation for all breakfasts on the go. 

Hash Brown Muffins
Adapted from In Erika's Kitchen

Ingredients
3 cups shredded Potatoes (use pre-shredded or approx. 2 large Russett potatoes)
4 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese
6 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 Green Onions, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 12 cup muffin tin (square or round) with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, 1 cup of cheese, bacon, green onions salt and pepper.  Divide the mixture evenly among the cups in the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes.  remove the pan from the oven and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.  Return the pan to the oven and bake another 10 minutes.  Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes and then carefully remove from the pan.

Serve warm or hot.  I made mine the night before and reheated them, wrapped in aluminum foil in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!
Julie