Crispy Sweet Potato Egg Nests
Shredded sweet potato pressed into muffin cups, baked until the edges crisp, then filled with an egg and finished with chives. A savory make ahead breakfast.
Servings 6 nests
Ingredients
For the Nests
- 1 large sweet potato about 1 lb, peeled and shredded, about 3 cups packed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
To Finish
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives finely chopped
- flaky salt to finish
Instructions
Prep the Sweet Potato
- Heat the oven to 400F and grease 6 cups of a standard muffin tin heavily, including the flat rim around each cup.
- Peel and shred the sweet potato on the large holes of a box grater.
- Pile the shreds in a clean kitchen towel, gather the corners, and squeeze hard over the sink to remove as much water as possible.
- Toss the dry shreds with the olive oil first, then add the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika and mix with your hands for 30 seconds.
Build and Bake the Nests
- Divide the mixture between the 6 cups, about a packed ½ cup each.
- Press the strands firmly into the bottom and up the sides with your thumbs, leaving a clear hollow in the center. Define the well with the back of a spoon.
- Bake the nests empty for 15 minutes, until the tops are browning and the walls have firmed up.
Add the Eggs and Serve
- Crack each egg into a small bowl, then pour it into a nest. Repeat for all six.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes for a runny yolk, or 12 to 14 minutes for a fully set yolk. The whites should be opaque with no clear jelly around the yolk.
- Rest the tin exactly 5 minutes, run a thin knife around each nest, and lift from underneath with a spoon.
- Scatter chopped chives over the top and finish with a pinch of flaky salt.
Notes
- Bake the nests empty first: sweet potato needs about 15 minutes and an egg needs half that. Adding them together gives you a soft nest or a chalky yolk.
- Squeeze the shreds: water is what stops the strands crisping. Thirty seconds in a towel makes a visible difference.
- Press hard: loosely packed nests fall apart when you lift them out.
- Grease heavily and release at 5 minutes: sweet potato sugars stick to metal, and there is a window between too hot and fully set.
- Meal prep: use set yolks. A runny yolk turns rubbery after a night in the fridge.