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blank canvas breakfast hash

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 to 3/4 pound meat of your choice, diced, preferably with some fat on it (our shelf-stable favorites are Spam and Chinese lap cheong; bacon would be amazing, as it always is, or pancetta or any kind of sausage)

1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 1–2 cloves garlic, minced)

1 pound potatoes, any kind, scrubbed and diced into 1/2-inch pieces (we used baby red potatoes; sweet potatoes would be a nice lighter option)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup diced)

1/2 to 1 cup other vegetable, diced or ribboned (optional; 1/2 cup kimchi would be my choice, but you could try bell peppers, leeks, ribboned kale or collards, a couple generous handfuls of torn baby spinach, ribboned Swiss chard)

3–4 eggs, if desired

1 cup shredded cheese of your choice, if desired

A bit of fresh garnish if you have it (sliced scallions, parsley, chives)

Instructions

  1. Heat a cast-iron skillet or other large skillet over medium heat.  Add the diced meat or crumbled sausage and let cook, stirring every few minutes, until it’s crisped and brown and the fat has rendered out–about 6-8 minutes, or more.  I prefer slightly lower heat to let more fat render before it gets crisp.  In the last few minutes, add the garlic and let it sizzle a bit, too.  When the meat is done, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan, leaving the fat renderings behind, and set aside.
  2. Return the pan to medium heat and add the potatoes in a single layer to the rendered fat.  Season generously with salt and pepper and let sizzle gently in the pan for about 10-15 minutes, stirring the potatoes every 5 minutes or so, until they start to look nice and golden brown on some sides.  
  3. Add the onions to the pan.  If the other vegetables you’re using (if any) are hardier, add them now as well, too.  Kimchi, bell pepper, leeks, kale, or collards could go in now.  If spinach or Swiss chard, leave them for a little later.  Continue to cook, stirring only every 4-5 minutes, until the onions and other vegetables are softened and the potatoes are crisp, deep brown, and cooked through.  
  4. If desired, sprinkle some cheese over top until melted, and separately fry eggs over easy or sunny-side up to serve over top.  You can also crack the eggs right into the pan, add the cheese on top, and finish the dish in the oven at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until eggs are cooked through.  This is my favorite way to go, even if a little fussier.  Enjoy immediately.

Notes

If you prefer your potatoes quite soft, you can parboil them for a few minutes or microwave them for five to get them going before you begin to crisp them.

Optionally, dice the potatoes the night before or several hours ahead and soak the diced pieces in cold water, rinsing a few times, until you are ready to cook, which will drain them of some starch and encourage them to crisp.

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2020/04/30/blank-canvas-breakfast-hash/