Scattered, smothered and chunked sweet hash

Just about anyone in the South will recognize the black-and-yellow sign of a Waffle House from miles away. While yes, Waffle House is known for its waffles, perhaps better known to the masses are the variations on hash browns and the vernacular that accompanies them (the servers use diner lingo to call their orders). Scattered (scattered and fried on the griddle), smothered (with onions), covered (topped with a piece of cheese), chunked (with diced ham) . . . the list goes on and on. Here’s our variation on hash browns with more paleo-friendly sweet potatoes that are “scattered, smothered, and chunked.”

2 tablespoons coconut, avocado, or olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 pound (450 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded/ grated
1 pound (450 g) cooked chicken or turkey sausage, cubed into small dice
3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
~ salt and pepper to taste

  1. Heat a large sized skillet over medium heat and add in oil.
  2. Sauté onion until translucent.
  3. Stir in the potatoes, mixing to combine and cook until potatoes start to soften and then eventually brown.
  4. Mix in the sausage, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and cook until sausages start to get a bit brown.

Variations—While I personally love these hash browns with some chorizo or andouille sausage (I heart spicy!), it also tastes great with any of the Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s chicken/turkey sausages. You could dice up some ham, or so many other protein options here. If you need extra protein with your hash, fry up or poach an egg and serve it on top. Or, just like Waffle House, cap them (mushrooms), pepper them (jalapeños), or get really crazy and top them (with chili!).

Tips & Tricks—The potatoes cook up and get crispy a lot faster if your par-cook them in the microwave first (heat for about 3–4 minutes in a microwave safe bowl or dish).