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Nothing In The House To Eat? No Problem!

I’m sure you can scrounge up a potato, an onion, and an egg. Am I right?

Presto: Breakfast For Dinner!

During the first year after we got married, Kendrick spent months at a time on tour, which meant that I spent lots of evenings eating dinner alone. And of course I missed him a ton, but the truth is that there’s something really cozy and satisfying about making exactly what you want to eat for dinner, and then eating it – all of it – straight from the pot while bundled up in a robe watching bad TV (or in bed, off of your favorite china – whatever works).

The time when he was traveling a lot also coincided with me purchasing a Nigella Lawson cookbook in which she talked about her favorite solo meal to eat for dinner: breakfast. I thought, “huh. That sounds nice!” And so this quickly became my go-to comfort food for chilly nights when it was just me and my girl (that would be Lucy).

All you do: chop an unpeeled potato into cubes, and then dice up half of a yellow onion. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, and add the potato, onion, and whatever seasonings you like (I go for a ton of salt, some garlic powder, and just a hint of pepper, but you can also add spicy things if you want).

Stir for 25-30 minutes (you want to keep it all moving constantly so that everything colors nicely but doesn’t get too dark), and then push everything off to one side and fry an egg in the space. I like to keep the egg over-easy so that it’s nice and runny when you plate it over the potatoes and onions – the uglier this looks, the better it’ll taste, promise. You can also sprinkle over some parmesan (or whatever cheese you prefer) for a little extra-delicious debauchery.

Bonus: this is pretty much the cheapest dinner around (about $1.50 total)…and I’m willing to bet that you already have what you need in the refrigerator, so it’ll likely cost you nothing at all.



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January 12th, 2011 | Posted by Jordan | Eat | 17 Comments »
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  • http://jackiedanicki.com Jackie D

    Over the past six months or so, I’ve taken to keeping at least two or three packages of extra firm tofu in the fridge at all times – it keeps forever and costs about $1 per serving. I like to mix in McCormick’s poultry seasoning, Penzey’s garlic powder, and a ton of salt. Sometimes I mix 4 oz of unsqueezed tofu with an egg to make one serving of protein – could see that mixing nicely with this.

    That said, the best and cheapest meal of all time remains fried cabbage and onions (lots of salt and pepper), mixed with boiled egg noodles if you’re fortunate enough to handle carbs well.

  • Anonymous

    the fried cabbage and noodles sounds AWESOME.
    and i do need to start incorporating tofu into my diet more; thanks for the recommendation.

  • Anonymous

    I loooove breakfast for dinner! When my brothers and I were little it was a treat, and then in college it became a practicality. Now its just fun :) My favorite is to do scrambled eggs with cheddar on whole wheat toast. If I have it in the house, I like to add bacon on top and put it together as a sandwich, mmmmm.

  • Rileyxx

    dont forget the best part of a meal like this…one dish!! (i hate cleaning dishes)

  • Anonymous

    yum! i love scrambled eggs, cheddar and avocado on toast.

  • Anonymous

    COSIGN.

  • http://twitter.com/musestarved Heather

    How do you store your potatoes and onions? I tried looking it up and for the potatoes it suggested “root cellar.” Um, no. Apartment living. So. . . . suggestions? (Please note that the name of my blog is “Domestically Flawed” if you think this question is pretty “Adulthood 101.”)

  • Anonymous

    haha – no, totally fair question. alas, i too am without a root cellar.

    the truth is if you’re not storing potatoes for a long period of time (and if you live in an apartment with minimal storage space, i suspect you shop a max of a few days in advance, like me), you don’t have to worry about too much other than keeping them out of the light and relatively cool. i just store my potatoes in a paper or plastic bag (whatever they came in, really) on my countertop, since it isn’t in direct sunlight (and really, they get used within a day or two). if you’re storing them for longer i’d suggest putting them in a ventilated bag or basket in your cupboard, where it might be cooler and where they’re guaranteed to stay out of the light. be careful to remove any that start to shrivel up or sprout – one bad potato can “contaminate” the rest.
    onions i just store in mesh bags in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator, and that seems to work.

  • Anonymous

    haha – no, totally fair question. alas, i too am without a root cellar.

    the truth is if you’re not storing potatoes for a long period of time (and if you live in an apartment with minimal storage space, i suspect you shop a max of a few days in advance, like me), you don’t have to worry about too much other than keeping them out of the light and relatively cool. i just store my potatoes in a paper or plastic bag (whatever they came in, really) on my countertop, since it isn’t in direct sunlight (and really, they get used within a day or two). if you’re storing them for longer i’d suggest putting them in a ventilated bag or basket in your cupboard, where it might be cooler and where they’re guaranteed to stay out of the light. be careful to remove any that start to shrivel up or sprout – one bad potato can “contaminate” the rest.
    onions i just store in mesh bags in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator, and that seems to work.

  • Anonymous

    ps heading over to check out your blog now!!

  • Anonymous

    ps heading over to check out your blog now!!

  • http://jackiedanicki.com Jackie D

    My local Walgreens in Manhattan now sells tofu at a cheaper price than Whole Foods or Morton Williams. (I’m amazed they sell it at all – they also have a huge gluten-free freezer section and organic everything.)

  • http://jackiedanicki.com Jackie D

    A thin smear of Maille wholegrain Dijon mustard on the bread will make this sing – sounds a bit odd, but I swear it’s amazing.

  • Anonymous

    It *sounds* delicious! I will have to try it :)

  • Katiek20

    This post inspired me to make this meal last night, delish! I improvised the potatoes with sweet potatoes (mostly because that’s what I had in the apartment) and it turned out great. I just make this again on Saturday morning for my boyfriend.

  • Anonymous

    i’m so glad you liked it! sweet potatoes sound delicious.

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