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Breakfast Need Not Be Pricey, Elaborate To Be Satisfying

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No need for fancy spices or herbs; this recipe lets the flavors of these simple ingredients shine on their own.

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By GREG and MICHELLE BAKER

Tribune correspondents

Published: June 3, 2008

Updated: 06/03/2008 06:13 pm

One of our favorite Sunday outings is going to breakfast.

For some reason, sitting in a quaint little cafe or bistro, sipping on a good cup of coffee and leisurely eating our way through a bountiful plate of eggs cooked to perfection, slightly buttered toast, spicy sausage and creamy grits just does something for us. Perhaps there is an omelet to be had or a hearty dish of biscuits and sausage gravy. English muffins topped with scrambled eggs, avocado, bacon and queso served with a side of roasted potatoes? We're there.

It's Sunday. Kick back and take it easy.

One would think the art of breakfast is an easy task, but think back to when grandmothers across America would get up in the wee hours just to make those lighter-than-air biscuits. We always thought Grandma was an early riser; turns out, she just loved us that much.

When America was getting its start, farmers dotted the countryside. Breakfast was necessary fuel for a labor force that had to withstand long days. It was instrumental to the success of the farm. The habit of enormous breakfast feasts was formed.

Time passed. Families got busier and lived farther apart, occasionally seeing one another on holidays and Sundays. But true to tradition, mothers and fathers would wake up at the crack of dawn and repeat the age-old dance of breakfast.

Do we really need to eat a stack of pancakes as high as the ceiling and enough bacon to wipe out the pig population? No, but the comfort quota diminishes the screams of our doctors.

On our trip back from WAY on the other side of the Howard Frankland Bridge, we stopped off in downtown St. Petersburg for a breakfast bon voyage. It was early enough that not many restaurants had opened yet. We spotted Grillside Central at 437 Central Ave., took a peek at their upscale soul food-inspired (without the upscale price) menu and knew we had found our Sunday breakfast. The gorgeous smoky-gray pit bull grunting and smiling with its owner, who was also enjoying Sunday breakfast, only helped make our decision. We had breakfast, and we had puppies, just like home.

We were shocked at our inexpensive Sunday breakfast tally ($5 croissant stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheddar and $7 corned beef hash with a poached egg, both served with home fries). But we did not complain, and we found an unexpected treat: the best home fries either of us ever has had the pleasure of stuffing our faces with.

We asked Craig Chapman, executive chef, how he prepared them. He just smiled, and we realized his recipe is the same one his grandmother made, and her grandmother before that.

No need for fancy spices or herbs; this recipe lets the flavors of these simple ingredients shine on their own.

HOME FRIES MADE EASY

3 russet potatoes, cubed

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, large dice

1 bell pepper, large dice

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Rinse the potatoes in cold water, drain well, and dry with a paper towel.

Over medium-low heat on the stovetop, add the oil and butter. Heat until the butter melts and becomes foamy.

Season the potatoes well with salt and pepper, drop them in the pan, and toss well.

Stir the potatoes occasionally, but please, not every 10 seconds. We want direct heat to get to them. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the onions and bell pepper. Toss well, and increase the heat to medium.

The first 10 minutes were to cook the potatoes a bit; now we're trying to brown them.

Stir the potatoes a bit more frequently now, to avoid burning or reducing the onions and peppers to schmutz, but let them sit long enough to get nice and brown before stirring again. This should take about another 10 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning to your taste and serve.

Serves 4.

Got a question, comment or insult? Personal Sherpas Greg and Michelle are toiling away at culinarysherpas.com, where the tour continues.

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