The Depression-Era Breakfast That Pioneered A Popular Brunch Item

Quite a few staple recipes today came from the Depression era. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all, and we saw some real innovation take hold when home cooks were scraping by with a dime and a prayer. Meatloaf became America's favorite dinner and still enjoys a strong level of popularity today, apple-less apple pie took center stage, and the homestead breakfast became a filling and fairly nutritious staple that leapt through time to carry on in modern kitchens.

A homestead breakfast was, in essence, boiled potatoes, meat, and eggs, all cooked in the same pan. Think: A breakfast bowl, hash, or scramble of the modern day. You get a good combo of starch and protein, and the potatoes help to keep you full until lunch on top of being a complex carb that can help keep you energized in the earlier parts of the day. Potatoes are also high in vitamins C and B6, serve as a great source of potassium, and get you closer to your daily fiber goal. Back then, it was a relatively cheap way to keep a whole house fed, and that may just be the case today, too. The meal can easily be prepared with a variety of seasonings, veggies, or meats, making it a popular brunch item nearly a century after the Great Depression. 

The traditional homestead breakfast recipe involves frying up the bacon, draining off most of the oil, sauteing onions in what's left, and then adding boiled potatoes and a mixture of beaten eggs with salt and pepper. While this is definitely a good meal on its own, there's no reason why you have to eat like we're back in the Great Depression. In fact, today, you may see this offering on a brunch menu, as it works well any time of day. You can even customize it in a variety of ways. 

For one, you could use hash browns instead of diced, boiled potatoes for more crisp and crunch. With these 13 tips for the perfect hash browns every time, you can serve up a divine brunch scramble that still ticks all the same boxes. Consider trying your eggs a different way, too. Of all of the different ways to cook eggs, any that gives you a runny yolk would pair well with a breakfast or brunch bowl. Pop that yolk and it's an instant sauce for the rest of the dish.

Adding more veggies ups the nutritional density of the meal, like broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, or mushrooms. You can't go wrong with cheese, either; it takes a scramble from good to luxurious. And finally, don't be afraid to paw through your seasonings a bit. Pepper and salt will carry a dish far, but why not add some cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, or chili powder if you have them on hand? Mix and match to come up with unique and delectable combos for your own homestead breakfast or brunch to truly call this recipe your own.