I love baked potatoes. I love them even more when they’re combined with protein and have some real staying power. These Idaho Sunrise Egg-Stuffed Baked Potatoes are my perfect answer: hollowed out baked potatoes filled with cheese and toppings with an egg cracked right in there. It kind of all cooks together like a yummy omelet. Think of it like hash browns and eggs all in one portioned edible container. This is a fabulous meal for one, or for a whole crew.
When I was looking at recipes like this around the web, most of them are traced back to a recipe from “The Supper Book” by Marion Cunningham. She referred to it as an “Idaho Sunrise” and, as an Idaho girl myself, I can’t help but love that!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Baked Potatoes – Any kind will work, but I prefer russet potatoes as they bake up nice and fluffy.
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can!
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Shredded cheese – Cheddar, gruyere, fintina, pepper jack, or whatever you like!
- Eggs
- Additional filling of your choice – Sautéed veggies, bacon, sausage, ham, etc.
How to Make An Idaho Sunrise
- Start with your baked potatoes. You can do these in the oven or microwave, just be sure they are cooked through and soft. Slice the top off of each potato and scoop the insides into a mixing bowl. You want to leave a layer of potato in there, so don’t go too crazy. Save those insides for mashed potatoes or use them in a Baked Potato Soup.
- You don’t have to do this next step, but I like to brush the insides with a little melted butter at this point. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper as well.
- Next add some cheese and any fillings you’d like and fill up to about 3/4 full.
- Crack an egg right in there, sprinkle with salt and pepper again, and a sprinkle of additional toppings, if desired.
- Pop those in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until the egg is soft cooked and cooked to your liking. I recommend not cooking it completely through, otherwise you’ll just have a hard boiled egg inside a potato! Even if you don’t like “runny” yolks, aim for a soft cooked yolk for best results.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- Make sure you pierce your potato skins before baking or microwaving! This allows steam to escape, giving you nice, fluffy baked potato inside.
- A note on cooking time: There are a lot of variables here. The size and temperature of your baked potato, the type and amount of extra add-ins you add, the size and temperature of your egg, and your individual oven will all affect the overall baking time. If your egg is still see-through after 20, or even 30 minutes, just keep it in the oven until it sets up!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can definitely bake your potatoes ahead of time, and even scoop them out. When ready to bake, assemble as outlined in the the recipe and bake.
Is any breakfast only for breakfast? I eat breakfast foods any time of day. These would be great for brunch, or even alongside a steak for dinner!
Yep. Skip the meat and load it up with your favorite veggies and cheese.
We have had readers report this is delicious with a sweet potato! Southwestern flavors pair especially well with sweet potato.
An Idaho Sunrise: Egg-Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- baked potatoes slightly cooled, or leftover from a previous meal
- melted butter
- kosher salt and black pepper
- shredded cheese cheddar, gruyere, fontina, pepperjack, or other of your choice
- eggs
- additional fillings of your choice: sauteed vegetables bacon or ham, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Slice a layer off the top of each potato. Use a spoon to gently scoop out insides, leaving a thin layer of potato against the skin and avoiding puncturing the bottom. Reserve scooped potato for another use.
- Brush inside of each potato with melted butter and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese into each potato and add fillings as desired (vegetables, diced meat, etc.). Fill each potato about 3/4 full. Crack one egg into each potato. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper. Top with additional cheese and toppings if desired.
- Place potatoes on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes. Egg whites should be set and yolks soft.
Notes
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- Make sure you pierce your potato skins before baking or microwaving! This allows steam to escape, giving you nice, fluffy baked potato inside.
- A note on cooking time: There are a lot of variables here. The size and temperature of your baked potato, the type and amount of extra add-ins you add, the size and temperature of your egg, and your individual oven will all affect the overall baking time. If your egg is still see-through after 20, or even 30 minutes, just keep it in the oven until it sets up!
To Cook Potatoes
Oven
Pierce clean potatoes several times with a fork. Rub with oil and bake directly on oven rack at 400°F for about an hour, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and scooping out insides.Microwave
Pierce clean potato several times with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Test for doneness with a knife. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and scooping out insides.Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
Muss die Kartoffel 2x gebacken werden? Und wie lange vor dem aushöhlen?
Do you must cook the portato bevor you fill it? And how long?
Yes, you need a baked potato. I bake mine at 400 degrees F for about an hour, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork.
How much of this can be done the night before? (sorry if you have already answered this in the comments…but I didn’t see anything!)
You could bake your potatoes ahead of time, but you’d probably want to warm them up a little before baking them again so they get nice and hot by the time the egg is done.
Made this today, absolutely delicious!!!!! Cooked 10 minutes longer than suggested and worked perfectly. Added cheddar and finely chopped broccoli I and asparagus. Thanks for sharing!!!
Next time I go out with the Scouts (Canadian) I’m going to do this in my dutch oven. But I’ll toast my skins up a bit over some coals.
I made these tonight for a light dinner using leftover salt-baked potatoes. YUM. My husband loves runny eggs so I made his as the recipe states but I really dislike runny eggs so I scrambled mine. It took about 15 minutes longer to bake before the eggs were cooked but not overcooked. I used a fork to allow the scrambled egg to spread through the fillings (I used cheddar and steamed broccoli) before baking. The end result was like a soft omelette inside. It worked really well with the soft potato.
I scooped some potato out of the tops and covered those with cheddar and broccoli and baked those as well. Yummy potato skins 🙂
Also make sure your potToe is large enough.
I had runny whites also and had to cook about 30-40 min. I think the problem was cold potatoes out of the fridge. Next time I will re heat the potatoe (with butter) before adding the other ingredients.
After reading comments about the egg white remaining runny, I was wondering if poaching the egg before adding it to the top would help. I think I will try it that way and see what happens.
i just can’t do runny or soft yolk eggs. i’m thinking this would be just as awesome if you mixed up the egg so it was more like scrambled or an omelet. i will try this but not with a runny yolk. thanks for sharing!!!!!
I made these for breakfast today, they were delicious. Brushing the inside with butter, a must. Next time I am going to bake the potatoes ahead of time. We put a little salsa on them it was good. Going to try it with green chilies in them next time. My daughters do not like their eyes sunnyside up but really loved this, the eggs were not real runny.