Have I got a fun recipe for you today! In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, these Irish Hash Browns Eggs Benedict will brighten any morning and start your day with a smile! Crispy potato patties topped with a slice of ham, poached egg, and green basil hollandaise sauce make a fun and beautiful plate!
The Artist and I met on St. Patrick’s Day 28 years ago! We are celebrating with a whole week of Irish inspired recipes. One breakfast, one dinner, and two desserts – now that sounds like a celebration to me!
Potato patties ready for frying
Fried potatoes for breakfast, what could be more Irish than that. And then I covered them with a slice of ham, beautiful poached egg, and a creamy basil hollandaise sauce. This gluten-free version of Hash Browns Eggs Benedict uses crispy potato patties in place of the traditional English muffins. I promise, you won’t even miss the bread!
Perfectly cooked eggs ready for the basil hollandaise sauce
By using frozen shredded hash browns (Ore-Ida is a nationally available brand that is gluten-free) you take most of the work out of making the patties. Adding a little shredded onion adds a lot of flavor and stirring in a beaten egg makes it really easy to form little potato patties that fry up beautifully.
The thought of making a hollandaise sauce can strike fear in the heart of even the most experienced chefs. Basically you are trying to get oil and water to coexist happily in the same space without separating – yep, nearly impossible. And contrary to popular belief, I do make mistakes and this was one of them. When using the traditional method to make hollandaise my sauce broke, and none of the regular fixes worked. I didn’t want to throw it out and start over, so I hit the Internet.
I went looking for some help and that’s when I found J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s miracle 2 minute hollandaise. He is the author of The Food Lab and a seriously talented man in the kitchen. He has a wonderful way of making hollandaise that is extremely easy and very nearly foolproof. Instead of heating the eggs and trying to maintain an emulsion, he reverses it, adding hot butter to cool egg yolks, reducing the possibility of breakage. Also, by using an immersion or stick blender, you can have the sauce made in about 2 minutes without any hand whisking! Hallelujah!
Too bad I didn’t know this trick when I started today. I transferred my broken sauce to a small mixing cup I have, inserted the immersion blender and with some work, the powerful blending made an acceptable sauce. Not as silky as I like, but the flavor was fantastic. I’m sure if I had started with the immersion blender it would have been outstanding!
I did add a little food coloring because I wanted the plate to be very festive. The color of your sauce will vary depending on the amount and freshness of your herbs. Dried herbs will not add any beautiful pop of green and nowhere near the amount of flavor. Fresh is best for this sauce.
If you want to thrill your children with a really fun St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, start their day with this fun and delicious Irish Hash Browns Eggs Benedict breakfast. Green eggs and ham anyone?!
Erin Go Bragh!!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Irish Hash Browns Eggs Benedict:
- Hash Browns: shredded potatoes, shredded onions, cornstarch, salt and pepper, egg, vegetable oil
- Basil Hollandaise: egg yolks, lemon juice, water, salt, cayenne pepper, basil, parsley, butter, green food coloring (optional)
- Assembly: Canadian bacon or ham, eggs, orange bell pepper, chives (optional)
PRO Tip:
Make the potato patties ahead to cut down on the time required to get these on the table. The sauce can be made an hour or two early and kept warm on the back of the stove. Just make sure you have everything ready to go because once the eggs are done you need to move quickly.
How to make Irish Hash Browns Eggs Benedict:
- Make Hash Browns Patties: Thaw in a colander, place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet and pat dry and transfer to a large mixing bowl; grate the onions and place on paper towel-lined baking sheet, pat dry, and add to the bowl with the potatoes
- Sprinkle the cornstarch, salt, and pepper over the onions and potatoes, toss together until evenly coated; lightly beat the egg and pour over the potatoes, stirring until evenly moistened and scoop out 1/4 cup of the potatoes and place on parchment-lined baking sheet, then press into patties
- Heat oil in large skillet until shimmering and fry 4 to 5 patties at a time until golden, flip and cook the second side, transfer to a paper-towel lined baking sheet to absorb excess oil then move to a rack placed inside a baking sheet and keep warm in a low oven; repeat with remaining patties adding more oil if needed and transfer to the rack with the other patties in the oven, adding the Canadian bacon to the same rack to warm in the oven if you want
- Make Basil Hollandaise Sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan until boiling and hits about 220°F and pour into a measuring cup with a spout; place the yolks, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper in the blending cup of your immersion blender and blend until smooth, about 5 seconds; with the blender running, very slowly pour the hot butter into the mixture, moving the blender up and down a little as the mixture expands, add the herbs and blend until smooth, if you want deeper green, add a drop of food coloring and stir it in
- The sauce is best used right away, but you can keep it warm in a covered saucepan over very low heat, stirring occasionally
- Prepare for Assembly: Warm the Canadian bacon and potato patties (if made ahead), keep them and serving plates warm while you cook the eggs
- Poach the Eggs: In a large, deep skillet, fill about half full with water and bring to just about a simmer over medium heat – there will be small bubbles around the edges and an occasional bubble in the center, lightly salt the water stirring to dissolve; break each egg into a small bowl or perforated spoon (see Pro Tip below) and gently slide them one by one into the water, you can cook 4 eggs at a time, cooking until done to your preferred degree and scoop out of the water with a slotted spoon
- Assemble: Tap the bottom of the spoon on paper towel to remove excess water and place one egg on each ham covered potato patty, spoon some of the Hollandaise sauce over the top, sprinkle with some orange bell pepper pieces and chives; serve immediately
PRO Tip:
There are two parts of egg whites, the thicker part that surrounds the yolk and the thin, watery whites that make the wispy strings in the poaching water. An all-purpose perforated spoon for use in any number of recipes, can be used specifically to separate the watery egg whites from the firmer ones and yolks. If you pour the egg into a perforated spoon, the thin whites will run through leaving the thicker portion behind with the yolk. You can then gently ease the egg into gently simmering water. This gives you fewer floating whites in the water when you poach eggs and cleaner, prettier eggs. Take a look at this video where Chef Michael Ruhlman explains and demonstrates how it works.
Note – work over a small bowl to contain the whites that slip through and if the holes of your spoon are too big and all the whites run through, you can add the yolk to the bowl and slip the whole egg into the gently simmering water.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Box grater
- Mixing bowls
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Citrus reamer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Immersion blender with mixing cup
- Saucepan
- Instant read thermometer
- Large deep skillet
Gluten-Free Tips:
Make sure that the brand of hash browns you buy are gluten-free to be safe. I use frozen Ore-Ida brand, readily available in most of the country. Also, watch your ham. Many deli meats contain gluten. Boar’s Head is a large company that marks their products with gluten-free labels making it easier to tell when it is safe.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Irish Hash Browns Eggs Benedict (Gluten-Free)
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, these Irish Hash Browns Eggs Benedict will brighten any morning and start your day with a smile! Crispy potato patties topped with a slice of ham, poached egg, and green basil hollandaise sauce make a fun and beautiful St. Patrick’s Day breakfast!
Ingredients
Hash Browns Patties
- 4 cups (13 oz; 369g) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes [a 16 oz (454g) bag will give you about 5 cups (Ore-Ida brand is gluten-free)]
- 1/4 cup (59ml) shredded onions
- 3 tsp cornstarch
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 egg, beaten well
- 1/4 cup (59ml) vegetable oil, for frying
Basil Hollandaise Sauce
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained to remove pulp
- 2 tsp water
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
- 3 tsp chopped fresh basil
- 2 tsp chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 227g) butter, melted
- Green food coloring, optional
Assembly
- 8 to 12 slices Canadian bacon, Irish bacon, or thin-sliced ham, kept warm in the oven; spritz with a little water to keep it from drying out
- 8 to 12 large eggs
- 3 tbsp very finely minced orange bell pepper, for garnish, optional
- Fresh chives, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F (121°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and another baking sheet with paper towels.
- Make the Hash Brown Patties: Place the frozen potatoes in a colander and thaw for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. By the time you have all the other ingredients assembled and prepped, the potatoes should be ready. It is OK if they aren’t completely thawed. Pour onto the paper-towel lined baking sheet and pat dry. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Line the baking sheet with more paper towels.
- Grate the onion and put on the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Pat dry and add the onions to the bowl with the potatoes. Line the baking sheet again with paper towels and set next to the stove.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch, salt and pepper over the onions and potatoes. Toss them together with your hands until everything is evenly coated with the cornstarch mixture. Lightly beat the egg and pour it over the potatoes. Stir until all the potatoes are evenly moistened with the egg. Scoop out 1/4-cup (59ml) measures of the potato mixture and place on the parchment-covered baking sheet. You should have 8 to 12 portions. Press each portion into patties.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add about 4 to 5 of the potato patties, leaving room between each one so they can be easily flipped. Fry in batches, adding more oil as needed. Cook, turning once, until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Using a slotted spatula, transfer them to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in a low oven. If you want, add the Canadian bacon to the same baking sheet and warm it at the same time.
- Prepare the Basil Hollandaise Sauce: Set out your immersion blender, the mixing cup that came with it or a tall slender glass that is just big enough for the head of the blender to fit. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until boiling and it registers about 220°F on an instant read thermometer. Pour the hot butter into a heatproof measuring cup with a spout.
- In the blending cup, place the yolks, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper (if using). Insert the blender and beat the ingredients together until smooth, about 5 seconds. With the blender running, very slowly drizzle in the hot butter, moving the blender up and down a little as the mixture expands. The heat of the butter will cook the eggs, and the eggs will act as an emulsifier creating a creamy, luxurious sauce. Add the herbs and blend until smooth. The herbs will lightly color the sauce. If you want a more vibrant green color for St. Patrick’s Day, add a drop or two of food coloring and stir it in. Your children will love it!
- The sauce is best used right away, but if you need to make it ahead, place it in a saucepan, cover with a lid and keep warm over very low heat on a burner at the back of your stove. Stir occasionally.
- Prepare for Assembly: Gently warm the Canadian bacon (easily done by adding to the same tray as the cooked potato patties in the oven). Have everything set up before you start cooking the eggs. Place two potato patties on each serving plate and top with one slice of the meat. Turn off the oven but keep the door closed to hold in the heat. Keep the food and plates warm in the oven while you cook the eggs.
- Poach the Eggs: In a large, deep skillet add water until about half full and set over medium heat. Bring to just below a simmer - the water will be steaming and small bubbles will form around the edges. Lightly salt the water, stirring to dissolve.
- Break each egg into a small bowl and slide them one at a time gently into the simmering water. You can cook about 4 eggs at a time. Cook to desired doneness, spooning water over the tops to cook the yolks if needed.
- Scoop out of the water with a slotted spoon, tap the bottom of the spoon on a paper towel to remove excess water. Place one egg on each ham covered potato patty and spoon some of the Hollandaise over the top of each. Sprinkle with some of the orange bell pepper and chives (for the colors of the Irish flag) and serve immediately.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
The technique for making the Hollandaise was adapted slightly from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, writer of The Food Lab for Serious Eats. For the science behind emulsions and to see his awesome video, click here.
Make sure that the brand of hash browns you buy are gluten-free to be safe. I use Ore-Ida brand, readily available in most of the country.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
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Create a New Tradition Today!
This recipe is part of Food Network’s weekly Comfort Food Feast. See the links below for inspiration and great recipes and check out our Pinterest page for even more!
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- The Heritage Cook: Irish Hash Browns Eggs Benedict (Gluten-Free) (You are HERE)
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Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. This post was first shared in March 2015. The article was updated in 2023.
