Photo: A.A. Newton
I am fanatically passionate about breakfast sandwiches. I love how customizable (and therefore deeply personal) they are; more than any other food, a person’s breakfast sandwich order tells you a lot about their character. Mine says one thing loud and clear: This bitch loves potatoes.
It’s true. Potatoes are a pure form of good, and I am always happy to see them—especially on a sandwich. I stuff fries in my burgers and Lay’s in my hoagies and, most decadently of all, hash brown pucks in my breakfast sandwiches. You should, too.
The air fryer was born to crisp up frozen hash browns:
Why would you add hash browns to a sandwich?
When you think about it, adding hash browns to a bacon, egg and cheese is kind of a no-brainer—especially when you consider that they’re the backbone of any self-respecting breakfast burrito. But as with any great sandwich, there’s more to it than meets the eye. After lots of deep thought and philosophical reflection, I’ve come up with a four-point proposal to explain precisely why hash browns bang so hard in a BEC:
Crunch: Unless you take your bacon right up to the burn zone or toast the absolute bejesus out of your bun, breakfast sandwiches don’t have a ton of textural contrast going on. Crispy hash browns fix that right up.Efficiency: A BEC is just one potato shy of a complete breakfast—why not skip the plate middleman and apply potato directly to the sandwich?Nourishment: Breakfast sandwiches are already filling, but an extra helping of carbs means breakfast will carry you that much further.Grease-based synergy: Hash browns are greasy enough to incorporate seamlessly into the BEC experience. Where other unorthodox additions can be a little too obvious, crispy taters are right at home—and if you’re a little hungover, familiarity is always preferable to a flavor surprise.Obviously, I am all-in on the hash brown BEC life, but you don’t have to take my word for it: San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho told Skillet that she also enjoys a hash brown puck on a BEC, so you know it’s legit. Choosing this path for yourself is as easy as grabbing a box of frozen hash brown patties the next time you’re at the store. McDonald’s hash browns they’re not—but they’re close enough, and you deserve it.
