Bagel Story: Kale and Mushroom Tofu Scramble with Shallot Hash Browns and Avocado

My initial plan for Sunday's breakfast was to make Rösti, a traditional Swiss dish consisting of a golden potato cake the size of a frying pan. What's not to love about waking up to a plateful of fried potatoes? But when a friend showed up with a dozen beautiful Brooklyn bagels, these open-faced breakfast sandwiches emerged, piled with kale and mushroom tofu scramble, avocado slices, shallot hash browns, and tomatoes. Someday I will provide detailed instructions on how to flip a giant potato pancake but until then, these leaning-tower sandwiches will be sure to weaken jaws and melt hearts in every borough. 

Components

seeded bagels, halved and toasted

vine-ripe tomatoes, sliced thinly

ripe avocados, sliced thinly

tofu scramble and hash browns (recipes below)

parsley, chopped finely

black pepper

Scramble
1 lb. firm tofu, pressed
1 yellow onion, chopped finely 
3-4 cloves garlic, minced 
2 Tbs. olive oil 
handful of grape tomatoes, quartered
handful of mushrooms, sliced 
3 cups kale, sliced thinly 
1 tsp. crushed red pepper 
1/2 tsp. thyme 
1/2 tsp. rosemary 
1/2 tsp. turmeric 
1 tsp. salt  
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (more or less) 
fresh ground pepper

In a large frying pan, heat oil to medium heat. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Proceed with the garlic and spices, stirring often to keep anything from burning. Crumble tofu into medium sized pieces and add to the pan, stirring the melange to sure the spices and oil coat the tofu. After 5 minutes or so, add the tomatoes, kale, and mushrooms and saute for another 10 minutes. Add nutritional yeast and fresh pepper and stir.

Shallot Hash Browns

3 lbs. boiling potatoes, shredded
2 shallots, sliced finely
2 tsp. sea salt
freshly ground pepper
high grade vegetable oil

The thing about making good hash browns is that you have to try to get rid of as much moisture in the potato as possible. If you have a potato ricer, I envy you! I used a strainer and a few towels but was only mildly successful. Mix the strained potatoes, salt, pepper, and shallots in a large bowl. Form medium sized cakes and fry on each side. Store in a warm oven until serving.

Open wide!
NRG