My children are haunted with our tradition of adding truffled cheese to our scrambled eggs on Christmas morning. They start dreaming about this breakfast as soon as November brings the cool air. Finally, the day has come. We enjoyed a meal this morning that clearly sets the stage for next year. And this post will be available when the time comes for them to do it on their own.

Simple scrambled eggs are moved gently in a buttered pan over medium flame for several minutes. Then, the eggs are finished with grated cheese. This year, I used an Italian variety purchased from the cheese counter at Whole Foods called Cacao di Bosco al Tartufo. It was full of truffle shavings that were a little salty and very creamy. A sophisticated finish to our scrambled eggs cost only $6.00.

The hash browns are fabulous, too. You will want a box grater and a clean dishtowel. I found that three medium-sized white potatoes work perfectly well for our family of five. Place the grater on a cutting board and grate all the potatoes. Then grate the shallots. At this time, combine the grated product on the dishtowel and squeeze out the excess liquid over the sink. Begin with a 6-inch cast iron skillet or any solid frying pan over high heat and cook five pieces of bacon until almost crisp. Remove the bacon (but not the grease) and add the potato and shallot mixture to the pan. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Place another pan of equal size (wrapped in foil) on top of the mixture and place a few heavy cans in it to add weight. Flip after five minutes and replace the weight on the potatoes. Serve when the eggs are ready. I start the eggs when the potatoes have been flipped.