Chorizo and Potato Skillet Hash
Chorizo renders its own fat, the potatoes fry in it, and the eggs go in last.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 58
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Raw chorizo | 8 oz | casings pulled off |
|---|---|---|
| Red potatoes | 2 cups | diced small, cut at home and patted dry |
| Yellow onion | 1 small | diced |
| Bell pepper | 1 | any color, diced |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Eggs | 4 large | |
| Smoked paprika | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Cilantro | 2 tbsp | chopped, optional |
Method
- Burn a fire down to steady coals and set a cast iron skillet on the grate. On a stove, run a medium flame. You want the pan hot before anything goes in.
- Crumble in the chorizo and cook it until the fat renders out and the meat browns, about 5 minutes.
- Push the chorizo to one side, add the oil, and spread the potatoes in a single layer. Leave them alone for 4 or 5 minutes at a time. Stirring constantly steams them instead of browning them.
- Once the potatoes have color, add the onion and pepper and cook another 6 to 8 minutes until soft. Stir in the paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Make four wells in the hash and crack an egg into each. Cover with a lid or foil and cook 4 to 6 minutes, until the whites set.
- Scatter cilantro over the top and serve out of the pan.
This is a cooler recipe, not a pack recipe. Raw chorizo and eggs both need to stay cold, so it belongs at a car campsite or a basecamp with a working icebox. What it gives you in exchange is a breakfast that feeds four out of one skillet with almost no seasoning work, because the chorizo carries the spice and the fat for everything else in the pan.
The potatoes are the part people get wrong. Cut them small at home, dry them off, and then let them sit still against hot cast iron. Browning is contact time, not stirring. Eggs go in at the end so the yolks are still soft when the pan comes off the coals.
Packing
Dice the potatoes, onion, and pepper at home and pack them in separate sealed containers. Potatoes in particular need to be dry, so pat them down before they go in the box. Chorizo and eggs ride deep in the cooler, away from melting ice. Mix the paprika, salt, and pepper into one small jar.
Variations
- No eggs, no lid: cook the hash through and top with hot sauce instead.
- A handful of shredded cheese melted over the top before the eggs go in adds fat and holds the hash together.
- Swap the raw chorizo for dry cured Spanish chorizo and this stops needing a cooler, though you lose the rendered fat and will want more oil.
https://camprecipes.com/campfire-chorizo-breakfast-hash