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Get Your Fun On With Toad-In-A-Hole Sheet-Pan Kimchi Hash Browns

A novel version of toad-in-a-hole.

In the United States, it’s the childhood favorite of an egg cooked inside the cut-out-center of a bread slice. In the United Kingdom, it’s the homey dish of stubby sausages baked in airy Yorkshire pudding batter.

Now comes the creative minds of America’s Test Kitchen re-imagining toad-in-a-hole as a big ol’ pan of sunny side-up eggs nestled in a raft of hash browns and kimchi.

How marvelous does that sound!

Best yet, it’s from the new cookbook entitled, Five-Ingredient Dinners: 100+ Fast, Flavorful Meals” (America’s Test Kitchen), of which I received a review copy, meaning it takes few ingredients and little time to actually put together.

The cookbook includes more than 100 recipes for complete meals that are sure to spark the appetite, such as “Steak with Shichimi Togarashi Charred Cabbage Salad,” “Chipotle Shrimp Risotto,” “Grilled Garam Masala Chicken, Tomatoes, and Naan with Chutney” and “Chili-Crisp Steak with Rice Noodles.”

Like most five-ingredient cookbooks, this one does take some liberties, most notably not counting staple ingredients, which would then put the count over. That’s why with each recipe, you’ll see a box labeled “Staple Ingredients” that you’ll also need, including salt, pepper, extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter.

“Toad-in-a-Hole Sheet-Pan Kimchi Hash Browns” was simply too much fun to pass up making.

Just shred Yukon Gold potatoes, then rinse in water to remove some of the starch. The one slightly laborious part of the recipe comes in squeezing out the water from the potatoes. You will want to do this as thoroughly as possible, though, so that the potatoes can crisp up well in the oven.

The potatoes get arranged on a greased sheet pan. The recipe doesn’t specify what size sheet pan to use. But you should use at least a half sheet pan, 18-by-13-inches, so I added that info to the recipe below. You don’t want to crowd the potatoes. Rather, arrange the potato strands as much as possible in a single layer so that as many of them as possible get exposed to the high heat of the oven.

The recipe stated to let the potatoes bake for 32 to 35 minutes until the top gets spotty brown. I found mine took slightly longer, so I extended the time a bit in the recipe.

Flip the potatoes over, add the kimchi, then make six wells in the hash browns to crack an egg into each one, before returning the pan to the oven.

The recipe is spot-on in recommending 7 to 8 minutes of baking time to get the whites set yet the yolks still runny. That’s exactly how mine turned out.

Potatoes, eggs — and kimchi — to dig into.

This is a homey dish that’s a great way to cook eggs all at once for the family. It’s an uncomplicated dinner that would also be wonderful for brunch or lunch.

The abundance of potatoes yields both crisp and tender bits to enjoy. The kimchi jazzes up the potatoes, adding a subtle fermented tanginess plus a lick of heat. The spice level will depend on the spiciness of your kimchi, of course. Poke your fork tines into the egg yolk to let it run into the potatoes and kimchi for the ultimate bite.

Toad-in-a-Hole Sheet-Pan Kimchi Hash Browns

(Serves 4 to 6)

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled

2 scallions, sliced thin

1 1/2 cups kimchi, drained, squeezed dry, and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Staple ingredients:

Vegetable oil

Table salt

Pepper

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray rimmed baking sheet (18-by-13 inches) with vegetable oil spray. Shred potatoes with food processor or box grater, then transfer to large bowl. Cover with cold water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain potatoes in colander and rinse and dry bowl. Using clean dish towel, squeeze potatoes dry in four batches, transferring dried potatoes to dry, now-empty bowl.

Add scallions, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to potatoes and toss to combine. Distribute potatoes in even layer on sheet, but do not pack down. Bake until top of potatoes is spotty brown, 32 to 40 minutes.

Remove sheet from oven. Using metal spatula, flip hash browns in sections then sprinkle kimchi evenly over top. Using back of spoon, create six 3-inch-wide indentations in potatoes. Crack 1 egg into each and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until whites are just beginning to set but still have some movement when sheet is shaken, 7 to 8 minutes for slightly runny yolks or 9 to 10 minutes for soft-cooked yolks. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve.

Adapted from “Five Ingredient Dinners”

More Sunny Side-Up Egg Dishes: Pattypan Squash with Eggs

And: Shirred Eggs in Prosciutto Crudo Cups

And: Broiled Sesame Salmon Bibimbap

And: Risotto of Irish Oats