Breakfast Skillet Pie with Insanely Fast & Easy Hollandaise

Have you ever seen that Weight Watchers commercial, where Oprah Winfrey says, "I love bread," with such passion and conviction in her voice that it makes you want to run into the kitchen and gobble any and every crumb that you can find?  My little sous chef and I giggle every time we see it, and it's come to a point where we'll even quote it when something makes us really happy.  That is exactly how I feel about Hollandaise Sauce.  I could pour a vat of that velvety goodness over almost anything!  Hollandaise sauce is considered one of the hardest sauces to make because it takes patience, requires careful attention, and can be temperamental.  Too much heat, and you have a lumpy, yucky mess.  The results are well worth it in the end, but sometimes I just want to be able to enjoy it without all of that effort.  Cue this Insanely Fast & Easy Hollandaise Sauce recipe.  It takes less than 1 minute to make from start (including gathering the ingredients) to finish!  Promise not to tell anyone this, but it's made... in the microwave.  Gasp!  Yes, really!  With this recipe, you can wait until the very last minute, after everything else is cooked and ready to go, to make the sauce!  That's exactly what I did with my Breakfast Skillet Pie!  

This Breakfast Skillet Pie is made in just one skillet.  Seasoned potatoes are the base, and then you add a layer of onions and ham, top it with cheddar cheese, and then crack eggs on top, which are then finished off in the broiler.  Pour that amazing sauce on top of it all, and I promise you'll be licking the plate, wishing you made more!  

Ingredients:
Yields 4 servings

• 1/4 c butter, divided
• 1/2 c onion, finely minced 
• 1/4 c cooked ham, chopped 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced 
• 3 to 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled, cut lengthwise, and sliced into 1/4 inch-thick pieces
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp onion salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese 
• Eggs, up to 5

Insanely Fast & Easy Hollandaise Sauce:
Adapted from Allrecipes

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice, or up to 1 tbsp 
• Pinch salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste 
• 1/4 c butter, melted and cooled 

Directions:

Heat 2 tbsp of the butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the cooked ham and garlic to the skillet, and cook for 1 minute longer.  Remove the onion and ham with a slotted spoon and set aside.  

Turn down the heat to medium-low.  Preheat the broiler.  Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter to the hot skillet.  Add the potatoes and spread them out evenly in the pan.  Season the potatoes on one side with HALF of the parsley, garlic powder, pepper, onion salt, basil, and paprika.  Cover and cook for 6 minutes.  Turn the potatoes over with a spatula, and season with the remaining half of the parsley, garlic powder, pepper, onion salt, basil, and paprika.  Add more butter to the skillet, if needed.  Cover again and cook for 6 additional minutes, or until the potatoes are golden and cooked through.  

Remove the skillet from the heat.  Evenly top the potatoes with the onion/ham mixture.  Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over all.  Make shallow wells with a spoon, and crack an egg into each well.  

Place the skillet into the preheated oven and broil until the egg whites set, or to desired doneness.  

Meanwhile, make the Hollandaise Sauce.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Slowly drizzle and whisk the melted butter into the egg mixture.  Microwave uncovered on high for 15 to 20 seconds.  Remove from the microwave and immediately whisk the mixture.  NOTES:  In my microwave, 20 seconds is perfect, but it all depends on how hot the melted butter was when it was drizzled in.  To be safe, you can microwave the sauce in 10-second increments, whisking in between.  Also, if you prefer a more lemony sauce, start with 1 tsp.  After the sauce is microwaved, stir in up to 1 tbsp of lemon juice, to taste.  

When the eggs are cooked to desired doneness, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, and drizzle that delicious Hollandaise sauce over all.  

Enjoy!