It’s Friday Facelift time! This sweet potato hash almost seems like a silly one to facelift – but it needed it. At the time I took the previous photo, I as, per usual, thought it was “good.” Unfortunately I actually covered up most of the sweet potato hash with eggs, so you can’t even really see the hash. I also committed all the terrible food photography no-no’s, like artificial lighting and not creating any space in the photo whatsoever. Just crammed that plate in there.
The recipe hasn’t changed, and I still make this one pretty regularly – I love having a big pan of sweet potato hash in the fridge as a go-to for breakfast during the week. It’s pretty straightforward, and if you’re someone who cooks a lot, you likely don’t need a recipe for this and can wing it. That being said, there are some people out there who need a recipe, and this is for you! I particularly like the proportions of this one – the right ratio of peppers and onions to sweet potatoes. If you want to step your sweet potato hash game up a notch too, try adding some salsa and avocado on top of the eggs on top of the hash. #winning
The original post has possibly one of the best life stories we have to date, so I’m leaving it in the post, even though it has nothing to do with sweet potato hash. Hopefully you find it as amusing as I still do!
So, we were house/dog sitting earlier this week for a friend who was out of town. Just before bed, husband says, “I think I left my phone in the car.” Fast forward to 550am, as we are headed to our regular 6am CrossFit class. He gets in the driver’s side and says, “I think somebody was in here. I think my phone got stolen.”
There were no signs of forced entry, but the armrest was open, and the stack of napkins we keep in there was on the seat. I poked through the armrest and noted that it seemed really empty, but couldn’t remember what had been in there that might be missing. My Costa sunglasses were still hooked to the sun visor, and a $50 gas card was still in the glovebox. My personal assessment was that this was either a fairly unintelligent criminal, or someone spooked them before they could finish checking through the car.
Needless to say, the phone was missing. We went to CrossFit, came home, and got ready for work. I used the “Find my iPhone” feature on my phone to try to track his phone, but it said it was Offline. He knew it had about 80% battery the night before, so someone had obviously turned it off. We went by my old stomping grounds and filed a report, which they said we wouldn’t have a copy of until after Thanksgiving, and then went on with our day.
Shortly after noon, I returned from a meeting to find that the phone had pinged just down the road from where I was, behind a local school. I made a few phone calls to some contacts and connected with the Team Investigator. The phone hadn’t been on in over 45 minutes at that point, so he took the Apple ID info from me and said he would chase it down if it turned on again. I went back to work.
Shortly after getting back, I was heating up my lunch in the kitchen when I got a phone call from an unknown number. I answered.
Me: “Hello?”
Him: “Yeah, uh, I found this iPhone? It says it lost, and call this number.”
Me: “Yes! Thank you so much for calling! Where did you find it?”
Him: “It was out here in the grass in front of the Food Lion.”
Me: “Wow. Yes, it was stolen last night. Thanks so much for calling, I really appreciate it! Can I come pick it up from you?”
Him: “Yeah, I be here. Can you hook me up with some cash?”
I think at this point I let out some sort of snicker/scoff. He’d stolen our phone, then realized when he couldn’t get rid of it without someone knowing it was stolen, called me and held it for ransom. Classic.
Me: “Yeah, I got you. I’ll run to the ATM, then I’ll be right there.”
I hop in the car, call the Team Investigator, and let him know that the dude with my phone is at the Food Lion. He’s still in the area, and tells me he’ll wait there. I go to the ATM for some cash (I am a woman of my word, and I said I would go to the ATM) and then call the number back.
Him: “Hello?”
Me: “Yeah, you just called about an iPhone?”
Him: “Yeah, I got it. Found it in the grass by the Food Lion.”
(I was pretty sure we had already established this story, but I guess he really just wanted to drive it home.)
Me: “Ok, well I’ve got some cash, and I’m on the way. Can you tell me where you are and what you’re wearing so I know how to find you?”
Him: “I’m at the Food Lion.”
Me: “Ok. You’re IN the Food Lion?”
Him: “Nah. I’m standin’ outside the Food Lion. I’m wearin’ green.”
Me: “Ok. I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
Dumbass. You are holding my stolen phone for ransom, and you just told me exactly where you’re standing and what you’re wearing. I spent the past 3 years working for the police department. Game over.
I called the Team Investigator, let him know where the guy was and what he was wearing, and he hung back and kept eyes on the guy, while calling for patrol to respond. I circled the block and waited for the call, letting me know they had gotten my phone from him. As I came back around to pick it up, my phone rang again–it was Phone Stealer Dude. I didn’t answer that call, but I regret that a little bit–I would have loved to hear what he had to say when 4 cops showed up instead of me. 🙂
Onto the real reason we’re here….food. I had a friend ask me for breakfast ideas that didn’t include eggs. I make this sweet potato hash on the regular, and use it as a base with a number of variations. It’s super easy, and only requires one pan, which is awesome. I’ve given some variations at the end of the recipe. What’s YOUR variation? Post to comments and share with everyone. Sharing is caring!
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes diced
- 1 lb ground breakfast sausage or other meat of your choice
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 large bell pepper diced
- 1 Tbsp of bacon grease or other fat of your choice
- s&p
- In a large skillet, brown the breakfast sausage over medium heat. Set cooked sausage aside, leaving as much of the grease in the pan as possible.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the diced sweet potatoes to the pan, and stir to coat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the bacon grease, onion, and bell pepper to the pan, sprinkle with s&p, and continue to cook until the sweet potatoes are tender all the way through, stirring frequently to ensure even cooking.
- From here, you can take this hash a million different places. I topped mine with over-easy eggs this morning. You can add a can of diced green chilies to spice it up, or top with salsa and diced avocado. You can scramble eggs and mix them into the hash. You can tear up some kale and toss it in at the end for a punch of greens. Don't be scared to experiment and find what works for you!
Cool story, did the cops swoop in and get your phone back? Did the dude see the cops and run?
I never feel quite satisfied by a breakfast without eggs. I love hash. Always with eggs.
I never get sick of eggs either. I love them! But apparently others don’t always feel the same, so I’m working on offering some egg-less breakfast options. Womp womp. (I always just add eggs at the end!)
And no, he didn’t run. They came from both directions so he had nowhere to go. They patted him down and got the phone back. They let him go, because we didn’t have any proof he was the one that stole it, and he was “tryin’ to do the right thing” by returning it to me (and charging me for it!) Regardless, I’m certain that this is not his first, or last, encounter with the law.
Oh well. You probably scare him good though.