Ranch-Style Egg & Potato Pie

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity. -Voltaire

One of the (many) joys of the weekend is being able to make breakfast for my family. During the work week I am usually up and out of the house before they are stirring.

Pancakes and waffles and poached eggs get a little boring, but there's no need to jump through culinary hoops to mix things up and bring a little extra yum to the most important meal of the day.

This morning I made ranch-style egg and potato pie. The list of ingredients is simple. And the it takes less than an hour from start to finish.

4 medium potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbs minced chives
1 cup coarsely grated Cheddar cheese
8 eggs

Slice the potatoes paper thin (a task that requires patience and good hand eye coordination if you do not have a food slicer) into a bowl of cold water. Drain and pat dry the potatoes on paper toweling.

As the potatoes dry, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet or flameproof casserole - it goes from the stove-top to the oven so I used a large cast iron skillet - for one to two minutes over moderately low heat.

Spread the potato slices over the bottom, pressing them down with a spatula. Sauté them about 30 minutes, without turning or stirring, until a crisp brown crust forms.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, green onions, chives and cheese over potatoes.










Break the eggs one at a time into a cup and gently slide them on top of the cheese. Space the eggs evenly.









Bake, uncovered, until eggs are cooked to your liking (about five - 10 minutes).

I found this to be hardest part of the whole process as I am not used to cooking eggs in an oven and it was hard to gauge by sight when they were done.

Cut into portions. And enjoy. This served two adults and one six year old with leftovers to spare.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I did. Tasty, nutritious and easy.

Cheers!