Thick Cut Bacon, Parsley Hash Brown, and a Sunny-Side Up Egg -- I earned my first tip!

Ah, Sunday is finally here, together with the nice spring weather! We woke up well rested, to a sunny and warm day.

D is hungry, as I am taking a break from making a batch of these muffins every other day, which is why I am making him a hearty breakfast while he is out getting us some coffee from the Starbucks around the corner.

I love cooking bacon in the morning, because then you have lovely bacon fat to cook with all-day-long!

We got thick cut bacon this time, and the entire loft smells wonderful while they sizzle away in the pan.

 Several minutes later, the fat starts to come out and the bacon starts to crisp up.

By now you should be able to gather more than enough bacon fat to start another pan on the stove top, and throw in some shredded potato. Alternatively, if you are feeling as lazy as I am, you can just open a bag of frozen hash brown potatoes and add them directly to the pan. (Right, you can totally skip the defrost step!)

It looks simple and plain in the beginning. Give it some time and some spice and it will look and smell amazing.

Alright, while the potato cooks away we can get ready for THE absolute breakfast ingredient, at least for me -- the egg! No breakfast is complete without an egg, either poached, fried, baked, or scrabbled.
Crack one egg into a heated pan with some bacon fat, turn the heat to low and crack some pepper on it.

Yep, just like this. This particular egg may seem to have double yolks, but really, it was due to my lousy cracking. Sorry guys!
Put a lid on the egg skillet, stir around in the potato pan, and turn off the heat on the bacon. Transfer the bacon slices on a dish lined with a big piece of paper towel. When everything is cook, but not over-cooked (watch out especially for the egg), put everything on a plate and serve.

One of my regrets is not have worked as a waitress as a part time job growing up, which means I have never got ANY tip! But D made up for it because this breakfast DESERVES a good tip.

Did you see that guys, a whopping TWO dollars!
I am so happy now that I am going share a detailed recipe here.

Thick Cut Bacon, Parsley Hash Brown, and a Sunny-Side Up Egg

serves 1

• 3 slices thick cut bacon
• 1 cup sliced potato
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat up a pan on high, and fry up 3 slices of bacon. Reduce the heat to medium and cook on each side for about 7 minutes.
2. Take about a table spoon of bacon fat, and put it in another pan on high heat. Throw in a cup of thinly sliced potato.
3. Add the garlic powder and crushed pepper to the potato. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. Add the chopped parsley.
4. In a separate pan, add about 1 teaspoon bacon fat, heat it up till sizzling. 
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and crack an extra large egg into the pan. Crack some pepper and add a pinch of salt on top. Cover, and turn off the heat. Let it sit while the potato and bacon finishes cooking, for about (15 & 14 minutes total). The egg should cook for no more than 6 minutes total with the heat off.

Nutrition:
For 638 calories per serving, it is a very hearty breakfast indeed. The good news is you will gain 21 grams of protein and a lot of vitamin K from this meal, but bear in mind that the bacon and egg super combo is going to boost up your cholesterol level quite a bit! For more details please see: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/recipe/3079169/2

Cost:
We got our bacon on sale this week for BOGO, and the parsley was only $1.49 at the co-op somehow. The free-range egg from the local farm was $2.99 for a dozen, and the hash brown was $3/lb. The total cost you ask? A mere $3.75 for the entire plate, which is why I think $2 is a pretty handsome tip! ;D