Breakfast of Champions
By Dennis Linden
Here’s a quick and easy breakfast, submitted by Kyle Steinbrick of Melissa’s Sales Team, which uses two of the company’s most popular products – Dutch Yellow® Potatoes and Soyrizo. Kyle’s breakfast taco is a great way to start the day as it’s packed with carbs (potatoes), protein (soy and eggs), plus a generous topping of Melissa’s Hatch Salsa -- all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. While this dish may be built conveniently enough to be eaten on the run, the first bite will cause the busiest of morning schedules to slow long enough to savor the great flavors of this tasty beginning to the day!
While the prep of this dish is quick and simple, Kyle’s recipe contains a cool cooking technique that might be unfamiliar to some at no extra charge! That is, when cooking potatoes, especially cut-up tubers, add a little white vinegar to the water. The vinegar causes the potatoes to form a thin crust, which helps them hold shape. Vinegar will also keep a potato looking fresh without any discoloration. Admittedly, I doubled Kyle’s measure of 1 TBS to get a little more of a vinegary aftertaste that pairs well with the rich seasonings of the soyrizo. In fact, I have seen recipes that boil potatoes in vinegar only – a technique used for fish and salted vinegar chips. Anyway, do not overlook the vinegar in Kyle’s recipe for both taste and texture.
Soyrizo saved my life. Being fortunate to live in a state with more forests than paved parking lots, I have done a lot of camping in the nearby Cascade Mountains. For years one of my guilty pleasures was a chorizo and egg breakfast cooked over a morning campfire. It doesn’t get much better, as the beer commercial jingle goes – except if my heart could vote on this menu! Chorizo is a highly seasoned, coarsely ground pork sausage product. In plain words -- a potpourri of pig products! Soyrizo is a highly seasoned soy-based vegetable product without the porky parts. The transition from one to the other was easy as I discovered that it was the seasonings and texture I was attracted to – and put up with the unhealthy diet to get them! Kyle’s breakfast solution also captures those same chorizo/soyrizo seasonings and does one better by combining them with our naturally flavorful Dutch Yellow® potatoes. Like the title of this blog claims, a true Breakfast of Champions!
Kyle Steinbrick has been a member of the Melissa’s team for 5 years. As an account manager, he works closely with the buyers in the Southern California divisions of two of the company’s largest chain store customers. He says that the most interesting, as well as challenging, aspect of this position is that every day is different due to the fact that he is working with perishable products, which come with a sense of urgency that presents new problems to solve every day. Outside of the office Kyle, just two years married to wife Sarah, loves golfing and spending time with his dog Woody!
When asked if he would like to share how this recipe came about, Kyle explained succinctly: “Plain and simple, I like to eat. This is a recipe that my wife makes at home.”
Soyrizo Breakfast Tacos
Servings: 4 tacos
Ingredients
1 lb. Melissa’s Dutch Yellow® Potatoes, cut into half-inch cubes
Salt
1 TBS white vinegar
4 TBS vegetable oil, divided
6 oz. Melissa’s Soyrizo
2 Green onions, small diced
1 serrano pepper, small diced
Freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
4 soft flour or corn tortillas, warmed
Condiments: Hatch salsa, cilantro and lime wedges
Preparation
Place potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by 1-inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are softened, about 8 minutes. Drain and let rest on paper towels for 5 minutes to dry.
While potatoes cook, heat 3 TBS of vegetable oil in a medium non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add soyrizo and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through. Transfer to a small bowl, leaving oil behind.
When potatoes have dried, reheat soyrizo oil over high heat until shimmering. Add potatoes and cook, tossing occasionally, until crisp and golden brown all over, about 15 minutes. Add green onion and serrano, continue to cook, tossing, until softened and aromatic, about 1 minute longer. Stir in soyrizo and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Wipe out skillet.
Fry the eggs in the remaining oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, sunny side up, about 1½ minutes.
Plating: Divide potato mixture equally between the 4 tortillas. Top each with a fried egg and some salsa. Serve immediately with chopped cilantro and lime wedges on the side.
Here’s a quick and easy breakfast, submitted by Kyle Steinbrick of Melissa’s Sales Team, which uses two of the company’s most popular products – Dutch Yellow® Potatoes and Soyrizo. Kyle’s breakfast taco is a great way to start the day as it’s packed with carbs (potatoes), protein (soy and eggs), plus a generous topping of Melissa’s Hatch Salsa -- all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. While this dish may be built conveniently enough to be eaten on the run, the first bite will cause the busiest of morning schedules to slow long enough to savor the great flavors of this tasty beginning to the day!
While the prep of this dish is quick and simple, Kyle’s recipe contains a cool cooking technique that might be unfamiliar to some at no extra charge! That is, when cooking potatoes, especially cut-up tubers, add a little white vinegar to the water. The vinegar causes the potatoes to form a thin crust, which helps them hold shape. Vinegar will also keep a potato looking fresh without any discoloration. Admittedly, I doubled Kyle’s measure of 1 TBS to get a little more of a vinegary aftertaste that pairs well with the rich seasonings of the soyrizo. In fact, I have seen recipes that boil potatoes in vinegar only – a technique used for fish and salted vinegar chips. Anyway, do not overlook the vinegar in Kyle’s recipe for both taste and texture.
Soyrizo saved my life. Being fortunate to live in a state with more forests than paved parking lots, I have done a lot of camping in the nearby Cascade Mountains. For years one of my guilty pleasures was a chorizo and egg breakfast cooked over a morning campfire. It doesn’t get much better, as the beer commercial jingle goes – except if my heart could vote on this menu! Chorizo is a highly seasoned, coarsely ground pork sausage product. In plain words -- a potpourri of pig products! Soyrizo is a highly seasoned soy-based vegetable product without the porky parts. The transition from one to the other was easy as I discovered that it was the seasonings and texture I was attracted to – and put up with the unhealthy diet to get them! Kyle’s breakfast solution also captures those same chorizo/soyrizo seasonings and does one better by combining them with our naturally flavorful Dutch Yellow® potatoes. Like the title of this blog claims, a true Breakfast of Champions!
Kyle Steinbrick has been a member of the Melissa’s team for 5 years. As an account manager, he works closely with the buyers in the Southern California divisions of two of the company’s largest chain store customers. He says that the most interesting, as well as challenging, aspect of this position is that every day is different due to the fact that he is working with perishable products, which come with a sense of urgency that presents new problems to solve every day. Outside of the office Kyle, just two years married to wife Sarah, loves golfing and spending time with his dog Woody!
When asked if he would like to share how this recipe came about, Kyle explained succinctly: “Plain and simple, I like to eat. This is a recipe that my wife makes at home.”
Soyrizo Breakfast Tacos
Servings: 4 tacos
Ingredients
1 lb. Melissa’s Dutch Yellow® Potatoes, cut into half-inch cubes
Salt
1 TBS white vinegar
4 TBS vegetable oil, divided
6 oz. Melissa’s Soyrizo
2 Green onions, small diced
1 serrano pepper, small diced
Freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
4 soft flour or corn tortillas, warmed
Condiments: Hatch salsa, cilantro and lime wedges
Preparation
Place potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by 1-inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are softened, about 8 minutes. Drain and let rest on paper towels for 5 minutes to dry.
While potatoes cook, heat 3 TBS of vegetable oil in a medium non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add soyrizo and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through. Transfer to a small bowl, leaving oil behind.
When potatoes have dried, reheat soyrizo oil over high heat until shimmering. Add potatoes and cook, tossing occasionally, until crisp and golden brown all over, about 15 minutes. Add green onion and serrano, continue to cook, tossing, until softened and aromatic, about 1 minute longer. Stir in soyrizo and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Wipe out skillet.
Fry the eggs in the remaining oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, sunny side up, about 1½ minutes.
Plating: Divide potato mixture equally between the 4 tortillas. Top each with a fried egg and some salsa. Serve immediately with chopped cilantro and lime wedges on the side.
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