Sweet Potato Hash

I love a breakfast recipe that can double as an anytime dish. This sweet potato hash recipe is packed with sauteed vegetables, eggs, ham and cheese, making it a balanced one-skillet meal you can eat morning, noon and night. Turn it into a leftover ham recipe with extras from the holiday table, or use another breakfast meat (or none at all) to suit your tastes. Sweet potato hash with eggs is endlessly versatile.

What is breakfast hash?

The original hash came from France (the name comes from the French word hacher, which means “to chop”). Chopping and frying meat, potatoes and fried onions was a simple, filling way to use leftovers at home. The corned beef hash we know today became popular after World War II, when canned foods became the norm in the United States. Nowadays, breakfast hash can take many different forms, depending on where you are in the world.

In the U.S., a typical breakfast hash contains cubed, browned potatoes with any combination of meats, vegetables, eggs and/or cheeses added to the mix. This sweet potato hash recipe has all that, only with sweet potatoes standing in for white potatoes. This unique yet easy twist lends an earthy sweetness and a boost of fiber to the dish. It’s a hearty, wholesome meal that will keep you satisfied until the next mealtime.

Sweet Potato Hash Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes: You’ll need peeled and cubed sweet potatoes for this recipe. While some grocery stores call sweet potatoes yams, yams and sweet potatoes aren’t the same. Be careful which one you pick up at the market.
• Butter: You’ll saute the hash ingredients in butter for ultra-homey results.
• Olive oil: Some olive oil helps the hash ingredients cook through without burning.
• Onion: Use your onion of choice here. Note that a red onion might “bleed” its purple color into the rest of the ingredients.
• Sweet red pepper: If necessary, learn to cut a bell pepper easily before chopping.
• Green onions: Scallions and green onions are the same and can be used interchangeably in most recipes.
• Red chili pepper: You can go as hot as you like with your type of pepper. For reference, a chipotle pepper ranks 5,000-10,000 on the Scoville Heat Units (SHU) scale, while a cayenne pepper can hit up to 50,000 SHU. Wear gloves so the pepper’s oils don’t burn your hands.
• Garlic: Minced garlic hitting warm butter and tender vegetables is a beautiful thing. Skip the pre-peeled and jarred garlic cloves; they don’t have nearly as much aroma and flavor as fresh garlic.
• Cubed ham: Now’s the time to pull your leftover ham out of the freezer! You can also use ham steaks or even deli ham.
• Seasoning: Black pepper adds another layer of tingly heat, and salt brings out all the other flavors in your dishes
• Eggs: To avoid unsightly (and crunchy) eggshell bits in your hash, learn how to crack an egg the right way.
• Shredded white cheddar cheese: White and yellow cheddar cheeses have the same taste; the only difference is color. Feel free to use yellow cheddar if that’s what you have on hand.

Directions

Step 1: Saute the sweet potatoes

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In a large skillet, saute the sweet potatoes in butter and oil until they’re crisp-tender.

Editor’s Tip: Cut your sweet potato cubes into uniform pieces, around 1/4 to 1/2 inch, so that they cook quickly and evenly in the skillet. Stir them occasionally to cook all sides evenly.

Step 2: Add the vegetables and ham

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Add the onion, red pepper, green onions and chili pepper to the skillet. Saute for four to five minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

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Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer.

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Stir in the ham, pepper and salt.

Editor’s Tip: You’ll want to stir this mixture occasionally so that nothing (especially the garlic) burns from touching the skillet too long in one spot.

Step 3: Add the eggs and cheese

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Using the back of a spoon, make four wells in the sweet potato mixture. Add a cracked egg to each well.

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Sprinkle the hash evenly with cheese. Cover the skillet and cook for four to five minutes or until the egg whites are completely set.

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Recipe Variations

• Add fresh or dried herbs: When adding garlic to the skillet, add dried herbs like rosemary or thyme. The butter-oil saute will bloom them and bring out their essential oils. Alternatively, finish your cooked hash with a generous handful of finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro.
• Add warm spices: To enhance the complexity and aroma of your hash, add spices and seasonings like cumin, chili powder or even cinnamon along with the garlic so the spices can bloom in the butter and oil.
• Finish it with Sriracha: For the spice lovers in the house, a squiggle of Sriracha over your cooked hash will give it the kick it needs.
• Make a plant-based hash: You can enjoy this as a vegan breakfast with a few simple substitutions. Swap out the butter with more oil in a 1:1 ratio; replace the cubed ham with cubed tempeh or tempeh bacon; skip the eggs; and replace the cheddar cheese with vegan cheese. Top it with sliced avocado for the ultimate finish.

How to Store Sweet Potato Hash

Is leftover hash better than freshly cooked hash? The jury’s still out on that, but if you have leftovers, they’ll keep in the fridge for a few days.

How long does sweet potato hash last?

To store your sweet potato hash in the refrigerator, let it cool, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to four days.

How do you reheat sweet potato hash?

You can reheat your hash in the microwave, but to re-crisp it, go for the oven, just like you’d reheat a baked potato. Cook it in a 350°F oven until it’s warmed through. Cover the dish with foil if the hash starts to brown too quickly as it reheats.

Sweet Potato Hash Tips

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What if my sweet potato cubes aren’t cooking through?

If your sweet potato cubes are getting browned but not soft, you might have cut them larger than needed, which means they’ll take a bit longer to cook through. If this happens, add a splash of water to the skillet and cover it. Let it steam over medium-low heat for a few minutes, checking every so often, until the sweet potatoes become crisp-tender. Then, move on to adding all the other hash ingredients as directed.

How do you meal-prep sweet potato hash?

Bulk meal planning and prepping are pretty simple. To make your sweet potato hash ahead of time, cut all the vegetables and ham ahead of time, and store ingredients in separate containers in the fridge for up to four days. Each day, you can grab the amount of chopped ingredients needed and freshly whip up a new sweet potato hash.

What can you serve with sweet potato hash?

To round out the meal, think about adding any missing colors and textures to your plate. Classic hash sides could include crispy bacon, a sweet, soft starch like pancakes or waffles, fresh berries and coffee or juice. For lunch or breakfast, a side salad would be great too.