Loaded Baked Potato Breakfast Skillet Recipe That'll Satisfy Potato Lovers

A cheesy loaded baked potato for breakfast? Sign us up. Recipe developer Jason Goldstein of Chop Happy got his inspiration for this scrumptious breakfast skillet recipe from a nostalgic childhood favorite. "Growing up in New Jersey, we would go to the diner as a family," he recalls, "and I would always get a big plate of fried potatoes with cheese with my breakfast!"

He's taken that flavor inspiration and added breakfast classics including eggs and bacon to create a skillet that's an intriguing and tasty marriage between home fries, cheese fries, and a baked potato. And we're so very happy he did just that.

This skillet can easily be modified to suit your preferences (and the contents of your fridge). Pepper jack cheese, Monterey jack, sour cream, and even leftover steak all make excellent add-ins to the original recipe — either alongside or in place of the bacon and cheddar used in Goldstein's original.

To make this loaded baked potato breakfast skillet, you will, of course, need potatoes. Russet potatoes are the spuds of choice for a baked potato, and they're the ones Goldstein opts for in this recipe. Their floury texture naturally makes it easier to get lovely, crispy bits on the outside when they're fried.

You'll also need bacon, which will provide not only a smoky crunch atop the final skillet, but also the cooking fat you'll use to fry the other ingredients (along with a touch of butter and olive oil).

Seasonings for this recipe include salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Four eggs, a hearty helping of cheese, and some chopped scallions for garnish, and you're ready to make this dish!

To begin making this loaded baked potato breakfast skillet, you'll want to par-boil your potatoes in a pot of water seasoned with 1 tablespoon of salt. This allows the potatoes to cook partially, so that you won't have to fry them for so long later on. It also softens the outside of the potato, which gives them a kind of "furry" texture. That texture is going to be what catches in the fat later, turning crispy and golden brown.

Par-boil the potatoes for just five minutes, then drain and set aside.

Next up, the bacon. Chop the bacon into pieces, and then cook it in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat with just a teaspoon of oil. The bacon contains a lot of its own fat, which will render out into the skillet as it cooks.

Cook the bacon for about two minutes over medium-high heat, or until just cooked through and browned. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon or spider, leaving the fat behind. You're going to need it for the next step.

Add the potatoes and butter to the bacon fat in the pan, and continue cooking over medium-high heat. Season the potatoes with the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt as well as the pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. This will give them a kind of home fries vibe.

Cook for about three minutes per side, or until the potatoes have lovely crispy edges and are fully cooked through and tender within. This is also a good time to preheat the oven to 375 F, as you'll need it in a bit.

Now that the potatoes are cooked, it's time to cook the eggs, and in this recipe, they go right into the same skillet for less fuss and mess afterwards. Simply use a spatula to create four holes in the potato mixture, and crack an egg into each one. Cook for two minutes, then place in the oven for three minutes more so that the eggs are cooked through and set.

Now, it's just a matter of garnishing this skillet with the reserved bacon, cheddar, and scallions. Dig in, because breakfast is served!