Cooking in Pearls: Egg in a Nest Breakfast Cups

I hope everyone had a nice Easter! After getting back from a lovely vacation in Florida I wanted to make something quick to bring for Easter brunch and after seeing these hashbrown egg cups all over the place I decided to put my own spin on them. These were really easy to make and I will definitely be making these again! I made a few versions to satisfy everyone's taste buds! Here's what I did.

I started with a bag of shredded hashbrowns and thawed them in the fridge overnight. You don't want them frozen! Feel free to cook and shred your own potatoes if you want...I wasn't feeling that ambitious and taking shortcuts are fine in my book!

Next, I drizzled in a half a stick of melted butter (you could use olive oil instead) and salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Since these are the base of the egg cup don't be shy with the seasonings! You could add in any other flavoring you like, garlic or onion powder, seasoning salt, cayenne, etc would be great! Stir the potatoes really well to coat the butter and seasonings evenly.

Take your muffin tin and spray it generously with non-stick spray.

Take a large spoonful and create a well with the potatoes and press against the muffin tin gently to ensure that the potatoes will stay. I found that the potatoes shrink down a bit when they bake so be sure to allow some potatoes to hang over the sides of the tin. Bake these in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy.

Crack an egg in each "nest".

Season with salt and pepper ( I added a touch more red pepper flakes).

Now for the good stuff... Add shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon. I left a few without cheese... Just in case someone didn't want a cheesy egg.

Put it back in the oven for another 6-8 minutes until the egg is set and the cheese is melted.

Yum... These were so good! I took a mini offset spatula but you could also use a paring knife and run it along the inside of the muffin tin to loosen the hashbrowns. Carefully remove and place on a platter.

I chopped some chives and sprinkled it on top for some freshness and slight onion flavor.

I had some extra potatoes and make a few hashbrown "skins" filling the potatoes with lots of cheese and bacon. These got super crispy and were so delicious!