a quick and easy breakfast for two

Or breakfast-dinner, as we often have. I threw this together this last night and it hit the spot.

2 small-ish russet potatoes, peeled, grated on the large holes of a box grater, and squeezed dry in a dishtowel (grate the potatoes directly onto the towel, then roll it up and squeeze over the sink)
Salt and pepper
Pinch of garlic powder (optional)
2 large eggs
2 thin slices pancetta
3 Tbsp. butter, divided
Dill to taste
Hot sauce

1. In a 10" nonstick skillet, melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat. With a fork, lightly toss the grated potato, about 1/4 tsp. salt, pepper, and garlic powder (if using) in a medium bowl. Dump into the hot skillet, using a large spatula to press the potatoes evenly over the surface. Cook about 5-6 minutes or until underside is golden brown, reducing heat if potatoes begin to scorch.
2. Slide the potatoes onto a large plate and add another Tbsp. butter to the empty skillet. Swirl to coat, and once melted, quickly invert the plate over the skillet so that the brown side lands up, preferably still in one piece. Cook another 4-5 minutes, occasionally shaking the skillet, then place the pancetta slices slightly off center and overlapping. Use the spatula to fold the other half of the potatoes over the side with the pancetta, and cook like this for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, fry the two eggs in another skillet with the remaining Tbsp butter until whites are just set. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Cut the hash brown "half moon" into 2 pieces, then top each with a fried egg. Sprinkle with dill and serve with your choice of hot sauce (we love Frank's original with eggs).

Weekend

Not much happening on the kitchen front that I've felt like reporting. I've been in a pretty big meal-planning rut. Let's see... I made a spinach-onion quiche that was pretty good. Yawn. Quiche is a big "I'm in a rut" food for me. I'm getting tired of it even as such.

On Friday I made a nice minestrone, perfect for the reasonably cool days we'd been having, and perhaps the real last hurrah for soup until December. :( This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe from their Soups & Stews book which I recently borrowed from a friend. It has no fewer than eight vegetables in it, so I heard no complaints from M with regard to our adherence to the food pyramid as we nibbled on this soup all weekend. (He's not nearly as neurotic about our diet as I make him sound; I just have a more laissez-faire approach to eating vegetables, like when I feel like it and/or it is convenient for me.) I made the variation that uses pancetta and am glad I did, since this soup derives its flavor entirely from the vegetables, with no chicken/beef broth (a real shocker for a CI recipe; they do love their chicken broth). I omitted the can of beans suggested because we don't much like them. Even so this was a very full pot of soup. It tasted healthy in a good way.

(And just because I have it, another picture of the same soup:)

On Saturday I made a Cook's Illustrated recipe for herbed pork loin that looked fantastic but was somewhat of a disappointment. Even just cooked to the right temperature and duly brined, it came out a bit dry; and though the herb flavor was great, much of the paste was slathered on top of the roast, along the pork's generous fat cap, which no one wants to eat. You also make a pocket down the length of the roast into which you slather some more of the herb paste, but that ends up being a tiny sliver in each piece of pork. Our general feeling: meh. It sure looked pretty, though (except maybe for the burned shallots in the topping).