Loaded Taters | Father’s Day Breakfast

Before our son was even conceived let alone a plan, my husband and I started to refer to our one-day-future-child-to-be as our little tater tot (tater for short). We continued this after we found out we were pregnant last year and after finding out we were having a boy. Using it so much so that people wondered if that would be his name in some way or if we had even chosen a name yet or maybe we were keeping it a secret. Truth is we had a name picked out also before conceiving but tater had become the name we used to talk to and about our little guy and we loved it. But my husband and I are also big fans of nicknames so maybe this is weird…we don’t care though! I will admit it did feel weird to call him Jackson while in my belly and even after he was born but I converted quickly.

Even so, he’s still our little tater and as I thought about how to celebrate my husband’s first father’s day as a daddy, it struck me how fitting it would be to make him something with “taters.” Now, my husband is a huge fan of breakfast so my idea was quickly born – loaded taters (hash browns) with a fried egg, bacon, and all his favorite flavors. So whether you treat your baby’s daddy to a father’s day feast or just love breakfast, try this next weekend…it won’t disappoint!

Loaded Taters (Hash Browns)

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 ½ pound, Russet potatoes, peeled and shredded
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ – ¾ teaspoon creole seasoning (we use Tony Chachere’s)
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pam cooking spray

Instructions:

While you prepare the potatoes, heat up your waffle iron.
Use paper towels to absorb the extra moisture from the shredded potatoes.
Once dry, add potatoes, spices, and cheese to a bowl. Mix well.
Spray hot waffle iron with Pam cooking spray to prevent the hash browns from sticking.
Add potatoes to the individual sections on your waffle maker, making heaping piles. Close lightly.
Cook for 2-3 minutes to get a nice crisp.
Then, push the waffle iron closed and cook for another 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove and transfer to a plate.
Load up your hash brown with your desired toppings.

Toppings: We did crispy lardons, fried egg, and a quick homemade salsa but there are many more possibilities.

You can really get creative with these hash browns. Change up the seasonings and load up different toppings for a variety of options.

Bacon strips or ham
Avocado hash-toast
Eggs (scrambled, fried, poached)
Pizza with cheese and pepperoni
Bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo
Arugula, pesto, mozzarella, and tomatoes
Loaded nachos with ground beef, cheese, salsa, sour cream, olives, jalapeños, etc.
And much more!