Hash Brown and Egg Skillet Bake
Freeze-dried eggs, dehydrated potato shreds, and ham, set in one pan over coals.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 116
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- 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
- Canister stove
- Dutch oven
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Dehydrated hash brown potatoes | 2 cups dry | the shredded kind in a carton, not frozen patties |
|---|---|---|
| Whole egg powder | 1 cup | equals about 9 eggs |
| Powdered whole milk | 1/4 cup | |
| Freeze-dried or shelf-stable diced ham | 1 1/2 cups | |
| Dry ground mustard | 1/2 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried chives or freeze-dried scallion | 2 tbsp | |
| Hard cheddar | 3 oz | waxed block keeps for days out of a fridge |
| Oil or butter powder | 2 tbsp |
Method
- Pour the dry potatoes and ham into the pan and cover with about 250 ml of boiling water. Lid on, off heat, ten minutes. They should be soft with no water pooling; drain any that is left.
- In a bottle or bag, shake the egg powder, milk powder, mustard, garlic powder, salt, and chives with 150 ml of cool water until there are no lumps.
- Stir the oil into the potatoes and set the pan over low heat or coals raked to one side. Spread the potatoes flat and let them take some color, five minutes.
- Pour the egg mixture over the top. Cover and cook low for 12 to 15 minutes without stirring, until the center stops sloshing when you nudge the pan.
- Grate or shave the cheddar over, cover again for two minutes, then pull it off the heat and let it sit five minutes before cutting.
The original is a casserole built on frozen potato patties, a carton of milk, and nine cracked eggs, none of which survive a night in a pack. Dehydrated shreds, whole egg powder, and powdered milk do the same job at a quarter of the weight and no refrigeration. The mustard powder is worth keeping: it sharpens egg powder, which otherwise tastes flat and faintly sulfurous.
Water discipline is the whole trick. Rehydrate the potatoes first and drain them hard, because leftover water in the shreds ends up in the custard and the center never sets. Low heat and a lid matter for the same reason a casserole gets covered in the oven: eggs set from the outside in, and hurrying the bottom just gives you a scorched layer under raw middle.
Packing
Potatoes and ham share one bag. Egg powder, milk powder, and the seasonings go in a second bag so you can wet them separately. Cheese travels whole and unopened.
Variations
- Freeze-dried bell pepper and onion rehydrate with the potatoes and cost nothing in weight.
- Skip the ham and it becomes vegetarian, though you lose about half the protein.
- In a dutch oven, bury it in coals with eight or nine on the lid and check at twenty minutes.
https://mealswithmaria.site/easy-hash-brown-and-egg-casserole-recipe