Re: RECIPE: Hash

[Guest guest]

Thanks! Going to try the chicken hash w/ a sweet potato i think. Always in need

of some good recipes!

n <mtpaper@...> wrote: The recipes in the attached

link need some modification in terms of fat

content, and perhaps ratios for your particular needs. However, they are a

good blueprint to use as a starting point. Also, I think they're adaptable

for using leftovers.

Hash in a Dash: Provided by USA WEEKEND columnist Pam

One of my favorite things to order when I go out to breakfast is hash -

corned beef, roast beef or any other variation - which got me to thinking

about trying to make it at home. After all, the ingredients are simple: As

long as you've got some kind of protein, potatoes and onions, you're in

business. And it makes a fast brunch or even light supper dish, with or

without poached eggs.

I started experimenting with 12-inch-thick slices of corned beef from the

deli, chopped onions and baking potatoes (I found that the starchier baking

variety made a less gummy, more yummy dish than the boiling kind) and made

several batches of hash.

Because it's difficult to cook, let alone brown, a large quantity of

chopped, mostly raw food in a single skillet, my first obstacle was how to

develop a well-made hash for four people without having to drag out two

skillets. (I quickly discovered that a 12-inch non-stick pan was essential

- how many of us own two such skillets?) Initially I staggered ingredients,

cooking the onions and meat until golden, and then adding the potatoes. But

the onion overcooked and kept the potatoes from browning and crisping up.

Next round, I removed the cooked meat and onions from the skillet. This

arrangement gave the potatoes all the room they needed to brown and crisp

up, at which point I returned the cooked onions and protein to the skillet

for a flavor blending and final crisping.

Hash needs a little liquid to bind it. Too much, however, and the dish

stews and loses its crisp surfaces and bits. Many recipes use milk, cream

or chicken broth. But I found that a bit of ketchup and Dijon mustard

thinned with a little water not only moistened but subtly flavored and

helped bind the hash. The sweet, colorful mix also gave the dish an

attractive hue and helped it brown better in the final stages.

Because much of today's deli corned and roast beef comes from the beef

round, I found the protein component of the hash lacked flavor. This sent

me in search of more flavorful options - ham, chicken, Italian sausage,

Polish kielbasa, salmon, crab, even canned tuna - all of which worked well.

And hash can be made almost completely ahead. If you want to get some of

the chopping out of the way, prepare and measure all of the ingredients,

tossing the potatoes in 2 Tbs. of oil and covering them with plastic wrap;

the oil and plastic keep them from turning excessively dark. Resist soaking

the diced potatoes in water. Although it keeps them from turning dark, it

also prevents them from browning. It's possible, in fact, to almost

completely cook the hash a couple of hours ahead of brunch. Store the

cooked protein mixture in a bowl and spread the sauteed potatoes on a large

cookie sheet, covering them with plastic wrap once they've cooled. About 10

minutes before serving time, heat up the skillet, add the potatoes to

re-crisp them, stir in the meat mixture and flavorings, cook for five minutes

http://allrecipes.com/advice/coll/usaweekend/articles/685P1.asp