Roasted Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Hash

Whip up something delicious for breakfast with this Roasted Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Hash recipe. It’s fantastic with a poached egg.

Last week, with the kids off from school, I took a vacation from work to spend time with them.

Here in Maine, President’s Week is also known as tournament week — the week when high school basketball teams from around the state battle for their regional class championships. The tournament actually lasts more than a week, but with schools closed, dozens of games are played to crown the regional champs in the boys and girls divisions.

Next weekend, the top two teams from each region will play for the state divisional championship.

But we didn’t stick around for the games. I’ve heard it’s a pretty incredible week, but we wanted to get away. Instead, the kids and I headed south to Boston where we ate, played and had fun.

While the city has been buried with snow this winter, there was still plenty things to do including visiting the New England Aquarium and the Museum of Science and catching a Frozen on Ice show at the TD Garden. We also ate pastries at Mike’s Pastry in the North End, and tucked into a best-kept-secret breakfast spot for the best pancakes ever, among many other delicious meals.

Still, something funny happened that I wasn’t expecting: It was really hard to completely let go of work. In the crevices of the day, like when we’d rest in the afternoon before dinner, I found myself checking in and replying to emails. It wasn’t quite the disconnecting I’d planned.

The truth is that it’s been years since I last took a true vacation. Nearly every trip I’ve taken in the last decade has either been work related or has involved me working in the evenings. While I enjoyed all of these trips, our trip to Boston this week was different. There’s a formidable contrast between a true vacation and a trip where you have to work at least a little.

I guess I’ve forgotten how to vacation.

I’m a master of taking tiny sips of life while juggling responsibilities, but to drink fully of life is foreign to me. As a freelance writer, it was necessary to always be on, no matter where I was, so that I didn’t miss an assignment or opportunity for press. But now that I am on staff at a newspaper, I can turn off — if I let myself. That’s the hard part.

It took four days and two admonishments from colleagues for me to finally step back and just let go. There’s much to be said for being invested in what you do, but at the same time I also need to know how to just relax. I’m working on it.

And frankly, once I finally did relax and stop worrying about what was happening at the office, it was grand. As I sit here on my final day of vacation, I’m so recharged. It’s kind of awesome.

Now that we’re home, it’s time to hit the kitchen and get cooking again. One of my favorite weekend breakfasts is hash and eggs. This easy roasted hash includes sweet potatoes (mmm!), Brussels sprouts (my favorite veggie!), onions and bacon. It bakes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to golden perfection.

This is the kind of breakfast to make on a snowy morning, or whenever you have time to let it roast slowly in the oven until the vegetables are all tender and flavorful and the bacon is crisp. It’s warm and toasty, with a lovely blend of flavors.

Serve this hash with eggs. I love it with a perfectly poached egg with a runny yolk, but sunny side up, over easy or fried would be great too. Or serve it with whatever style eggs you love. It’s all up to you.