Hashtag Hash ##

hash

When I was in college one of my favorite breakfast splurges was to go to the diner on Sixth and W. 3rd St. for scrambled eggs and corned beef hash. Breakfast is still my favorite meal to eat at a restaurant, even after years of slinging hash in my own diner for years. In fact I never served hash, maybe because we never served corned beef, so didn’t have any leftovers to repurpose. Maybe I just forgot.

OK, so hash by definition contains meat, but the term has gotten more expansive over the years. Honestly if I weren’t cooking for my daughter this recipe would have included bacon, but today I offer you a vegan hash, perfect for a Meatless Monday side for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Hash (meat or no) is a dish made of whatever you’ve got on hand chopped and cooked in a pan; my definition.

What I had on hand Saturday morning were some sweet potatoes I’d had big plans for, a lot of onions, a box of mushrooms about one day shy of being tossed into the garbage disposal and an ear of leftover corn. It sounded like hash to me. I got to work chopping. (Chopping is key; if you don’t like chopping hash isn’t the dish for you).

Like many flavorful dishes this one is best cooked low and slow. The highest heat (until the last few moments) I used was medium. And the dish took close to an hour to make. I built it slowly and carefully considered each ingredient. At one point I thought about adding my hoarded like gold, super-expensive, but oh-so-delicious Villa Mandori balsamic vinegar. I was so close, I’d removed the cork, and had my tablespoon measure in my hand, and then I remembered, this is hash, maple syrup would be almost as good and way more dish-appropriate.

I wanted my hash a little crispy, so when it was done I removed it from the pan, added a bit more oil, turned up the heat and browned it. If you want to make this with bacon what I would do is cut/chop the bacon—if you’re a good planner put it in the freezer for a half hour before chopping, if not I use a scissors. Then cook the bacon over medium-low heat until it is a crispy as you like. Remove all but one TBL of the fat, reserving the rest. Now start from step one of the recipe substituting the bacon fat for the oil. Add the bacon back in when you add the potatoes. Happy hashtag hash!

Sweet Potato Hash

Print recipe

Serves	4
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	1 hour, 15 minutes
Meal type	Breakfast

This sweet potato hash is a versatile recipe that will accommodate much of what you've got hanging around in your fridge!

Ingredients

2 Medium sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped into 3/4)
1 Large onion (diced)
8oz mushrooms (sliced into thin slices)
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cumiin

Note

I had an ear of leftover corn so I cut that and added it with the onions and mushrooms

Directions

Step 1
Heat 2 TBL of the oil in a large (12") skillet over medium heat When oil is shimmering add onions and stir to coat with oil, after about one minute add mushrooms and cumin Lower heat and let cook for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning
Step 2
When vegetables are well cooked; mushrooms are soft and onions are almost melted, stir in maple syrup Continue cooking for another five minutes stirring often
Step 3
Add sweet potatoes and salt and stir to combine Cover and cook another fifteen minutes over low heat
Step 4
If you want the hash a bit crispy remove it from the pan, increase heat and add the last TBL of oil to the pan When the pan is hot add the hash back in and press with a spatula, let brown on one side then flip (it will be messy) to brown the rest