Occupy Bacon

This was a recipe that a friend of a friend gave to me. I tweaked it a bit to my family's taste. If you do not have hash browns use bread for the bottom. We like to have his on a weekend morning and the kids love to see the egg occupy the bacon.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 12 bacon-egg muffins

Ingredients

• 1  lb bacon
• 16  ounces hash browns
• 12  eggs
•  salt and pepper
• 1⁄3 cup  of shredded cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray (or use a silicone muffin pan).
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the bacon in the skillet in a single layer and cooked until its fat is mostly rendered but it’s still pliable, about 5 minutes.
3. Put about 1 ounce of hash browns in the bottom of each muffin cup and gently press with the back of a spoon. Keep any remaining hash browns warm and serve on the side. (If using bread, cut two 2-inch circles out of each slice of bread. Place a bread circle in the bottom of each muffin cup.).
4. Wrap a slice of bacon around the edge of each muffin cup.
5. One by one, crack the eggs into center of bacon and season with salt and pepper.
6. Bake until the egg white is set, 10-12 minutes (longer if you like your yolks firm). Using a thin knife or offset spatula, remove the bacon-egg cups from the pan. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Serve.