Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°F and bake potatoes for 25-30 minutes, until halfway baked. Note => Potatoes must not be fully cooked before shredding, otherwise they will fall apart when shredded. When poked with a knife, potatoes should still be somewhat firm in the middle. Let cool. Grate until you have 3 cups of shredded potato and set aside. This step can be done a day ahead of time. Just store potatoes, covered, in the refrigerator.

• Next, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and dice once cool. Drain off the bacon fat and sauté the yellow onion in the same hot pan for 3-5 minutes. Combine onion, ground pepper and salt to the potatoes. Toss until combined.

• Decrease oven temperature to 400F.

• Lightly rub or spray a 12-cup muffin tin with canola oil and press a generous ¼ cup of the potato mixture into each cup, distributing potatoes around the bottom and up the sides. The potatoes will shrink, thus a little overflow is okay. Apply a very light brushing of oil or spray of oil over the potatoes and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on the edges.

• Meanwhile, cook sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Add green onions, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.

• Lightly beat eggs, add sausage, green onions and ¼ cup cheddar cheese.

• Allow potato cups to cool for a few minutes and then add 3 tablespoons of egg mixture to each until hash brown nests are nearly full. Sprinkle tops with remaining cheddar cheese, about 1 teaspoon per nest, and place back into oven for 15-20 minutes, until set.

• Garnish with bacon and finely chopped green onions if you have extra. Once slightly cooled, remove egg cups from tins using a fork and a spoon.

• Lori’s recipe was voted the grand prize winner of our Holiday Recipe Remix Contest and will be getting a MyFitnessPal apron, a Withings Smart Body Analyzer scale, a cookbook from Cooking Light, a Fitbug Orb and a one-week personalized meal plan from Elle, the MyFitnessPal RD!