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With potatoes, onion, and Mexican spices, these Easy Mexican Breakfast Potatoes make a great breakfast or brunch side dish, or filling for burritos or tacos. Simply sauté until nicely browned, then cook until tender with broth or water. 30 minutes is all you need!
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👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks - Recipe Inspiration
We love tacos and burritos for breakfast on Saturdays. I also love easy Mexican-inspired sides. It was time for breakfast potatoes! These Mexican breakfast potatoes will be great alongside air fryer pork belly, or with Mexican black bean shakshuka. And they're not just for breakfast!
Nibbles potatoes make these breakfast potatoes so easy. The smaller ones don't even need to be cut. When I'm trying to get breakfast ready on Saturday morning for Mark and me, I look for time-saving shortcuts, and these cute little potatoes are great! Of course you can use any potatoes, just make sure the pieces are small enough that they cook in a reasonable amount of time.
The last step involves steaming the potatoes in a little bit of broth or water. Have you ever anticipated fried potatoes and been disappointed by less-than-tender potatoes? YUCK! A few minutes of steam alleviates this outcome. The spices - cumin, chipotle powder, and smoked paprika provide the Mexican flavor, and I think you'll find they pair well with many different Mexican recipes. Huevos rancheros perhaps?
📋 Mexican Breakfast Potatoes Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- oil - Use an oil with a high smoke point - vegetable, canola, refined coconut oil, etc.
- potatoes - On photo day, I used little tiny potatoes called Nibbles, and they were so quick and easy! I cut the larger ones in half. If you're using bigger potatoes, you'll want to cut them into pieces no larger than ¾" so that they cook quickly.
- onion - I have a preference for red onion, but use what you prefer or have on hand. Shallots are great too!
- garlic
- ground cumin
- chipotle powder - I always have ground chipotle powder in my pantry, and I like its smokiness. Ancho, guajillo, and New Mexico red chile powder are great substitutes. Don't use generic chili powder. It's a spice blend.
- smoked paprika
- garnishes - We like lime wedges, fresh cilantro, fresh chile (red jalapeño on photo day), and scallions. If you're using the potatoes in this burrito recipe, you can use the same garnishes in your burritos.
🔪 Instructions
- Prepare the potatoes - On photo day, I used Nibbles potatoes, and many of them didn't even require cutting. Small pieces cook faster, so go for a thickness of about ¾".
- Brown the potatoes - To a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, and spread it around. Add the potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes show a good amount of browning. You can see it in the next photo.
- Add the aromatics - Reduce the heat to medium, then add the onion. Cook until it begins to soften, then add the garlic. Take care to not burn the garlic! Cook about 5 minutes.
- Add the seasonings - Stir in the ground cumin, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
- Cook the breakfast potatoes 1-2 minutes with the spices.
- Steam the potatoes - Add the broth or water, and cover. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender. The time varies according to how far along they were when you added the liquid. It usually takes about 5 minutes for me. Nobody likes crunchy potatoes!
- Serve - Serve the Mexican breakfast potatoes either plain as shown below, or garnished as shown in the serving dish photos. We love them wrapped in a burrito-sized flour tortilla with scrambled eggs, salsa, avocado, and sometimes, cooked breakfast sausage!
❓ FAQ
Are these potatoes good leftover?
Yes! The recipe is for 4 servings. I'm cooking for 2. We have them as a side dish the first day, and in burritos or a breakfast bowl the second.
What are some good ways to use breakfast potatoes with Mexican spices?
Make a skillet with Hatch green chile, chorizo, avocado, and eggs (shakshuka style). Stuff them in a breakfast burrito or taco. Smother them with New Mexico red chile sauce and top with a runny egg. Use them in a breakfast hash or a Spanish style tortilla. If you're following a plant-based diet, try these vegan breakfast burritos.
💭 Tips
A heavy-bottomed skillet works well to distribute heat for a task like frying potatoes. I really like a cast iron skillet, but you will need one with a lid for the last step of steaming the potatoes.
A sturdy metal spatula will help with turning the potatoes as they brown. They will always want to stick to the pan!
I love Saturday morning breakfasts. Most days, my husband and I do our own green chile oatmeal with 1 basted egg. On Sundays before church, he makes easy breakfast tacos. On Saturday, though, I take my time, and do something "brunchy." It's a little more than a regular breakfast. This recipe for breakfast potatoes is the first step for a breakfast we love - breakfast burritos with potatoes. They're also great in these vegan breakfast burritos!
Do you have a favorite leisurely breakfast dish? I'd love to hear about it!
📖 Recipe
Easy Mexican Breakfast Potatoes
Useful Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound potatoes, diced - see Ingredients in Post
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced - about 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt and fresh ground pepper - or to taste
- ¼ cup broth or water
- optional garnishes - see Ingredients in Post
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes, onion, garlic, and garnishes. Gather the remaining ingredients.
- To a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, and spread it around. Add the potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes show a good amount of browning (7 to 8 minutes?).
- Reduce the heat to medium, then add the onion. Cook until it begins to soften, then add the garlic. Take care to not burn the garlic! Cook about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the ground cumin, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes to toast the spices.
- Add the broth or water, and cover. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender. It usually takes about 5 minutes for me.
- Remove lid to evaporate any remaining liquid. Garnish as desired, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
I'd love to hear from you!