Breakfast of Champions

Sturdy. Steadfast. Solid. Three things this breakfast is, and then some. It will stick by you, possibly past noontime, and that's nothing to shake a stick at. Just don't buy the non-melting, freak brand of smoked gouda that I used. You can see the individual strands straddling my brekkie like toasted coconut. Ridiculous. Thankfully, they still tasted okay, a bit on the bland, American cheese front, but okay. Wish I had saved the wrapper from that hunk so I could blacklist it. But on to the good stuff. . . breakfast.

Nothing better than cooking a hearty meal full of rib-sticking goodness in a single skillet. No muss, no fuss — or very little muss at least.

Ye Olde Skillet Breakfast
Sunday breakfast for two

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large potato, peeled
4 large eggs
1-2 ripe tomatoes, quartered
4 frozen vegetarian breakfast sausages or patties
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar, smoked gouda, etc.)

Turn the oven on to 400º. Choose a skillet with an iron handle, one that can go in the oven without melting anything. Put that skillet on the burner and turn it up to medium with a quarter of the tablespoon of butter inside. Warm up the veggie sausages in the pan, turning to let brown slightly.

While those warm, slice your potato as thinly as you possibly can, lining the slices on a paper towel. Press another paper towel over them and soak up as much of the water as possible. Set the veggie sausage aside and melt the remaining butter in the hot pan.

When the butter melts in your skillet, layer the potatoes around the edge in a big circle, then make a smaller circle in the center. Let them sizzle away for about 5-7 minutes, until the bottoms are starting to brown.

Shut the burner off and flip your potatoes over. Rearrange them as neatly as you can to cover the bottom of the skillet again. Sprinkle them liberally with salt. Set one veggie sausage in each quadrant of your pan, then crack an egg between them. Arrange the tomato slices somewhat artistically. More salt and pepper over the whole thing. Set the skillet in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggs are just about set (I like them a little soft, but keep going if you want the yolks cooked through). Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake for 5 minutes more, until your cheese (hopefully) melts and maybe browns a little. Whatever you like.

Cut your breakfast into quarters and share. Or not. George thinks a little hot sauce over the top adds something extra. I like a nice piece of buttered toast on the side.