Hello My Friends,
Today’s post is about simple comfort food, especially for breakfast. This is the kind of breakfast which will fill your home with the most beautiful scent, waking up the family with the anticipation of love on a plate. Who needs an alarm clock when you get a whiff of fried potatoes and za’atar wafting in the air?
Batata o Baid, which literally means potatoes and eggs in Arabic, is the most cherished breakfast in my family. My father and husband are the biggest fans of this dish, possibly because it is quite hearty and filling. Small crispy cubes of browned potatoes form the foundation for soft scrambled eggs, gooey farmer’s or mozzarella cheese, aromatic scallions and zesty za’atar.
If you enjoy breakfast for dinner, try this dish with a side salad or roasted vegetables and you might never want to eat traditional dinner again! The ingredients are few and very simple, but the technique is what will take these eggs to the next level of flavor.
First, I start with an organic russet potato, slicing it in small uniform cubes so it cooks evenly while crisping up nicely in the skillet in a shorter period of time. Try to source pasture-raised organic eggs from the farmer’s market, where the yolks are super orange and the flavor far surpasses the blandness of supermarket eggs. The game changer is Palestinian olive oil and za’atar for that true authentic flavor I grew up with as a kid. If you do want to make za’atar I do have an easy recipe which you can find here: https://feastinthemiddleeast.com/2021/05/01/sharing-the-wonders-of-zaatar-on-fox-news/
Otherwise, you can find Palestinian olive oil and za’atar in some middle eastern supermarkets or online. As for the cheese, I personally love the Mexican “Queso Fresco” brand of farmer’s cheese, but you can use fresh mozzarella too if you prefer. Feel free to add condiments like hot sauce or whatever else you like. Speaking of condiments, list your favorite condiments for eggs in the comments below because I am curious to know!
To see my husband’s reaction to his favorite breakfast, as well as my video technique, check out my latest video below:
BATATA O BAID (Potatoes and Eggs)
Ingredients
- 1 medium potato diced diced into small cubes
- 2 scallions, or green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup cubed cheese, either fresh mozzarella or farmer’s cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3-4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp za’atar for garnish
Instructions
In a large pan, drizzle olive oil into a skillet over medium low heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring until lightly golden. Add 1 tbsp of water or additional oil as you cook to make sure the potatoes don’t dry out, this will assist in cooking them from the inside as well. After the potatoes are browned, add the scallions and cook about 3 minutes more. Then lower the heat, add the eggs, and slowly fold the eggs in with the potatoes. Add the cheese and gently stir until melted. Sprinkle with za’atar and serve, adding any additional salt and pepper to taste.
