Salmon Hash

I’m no different than everyone else I know. I overate between Thanksgiving and New Years.

I put on a few pounds.

I have to get back to some kind of normal.

But I’d rather not feel deprived. I like eating well.

I also hate to waste food.

Hence: dinner items such as this Salmon Hash. From the (healthy) salmon we eat for dinner one night, together with some vegetables and fresh herbs. Bits and pieces and leftovers and what-have-you that tastes terrific and uses up the leftovers.

Couldn’t be better. Top this hash with an egg or with dairy sour cream or non-fat Greek style yogurt.

Serve it is some lovely plates and it becomes all elegant.

Not deprivation at all.

Salmon Hash

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced

• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 medium onion

• 2 cups crumbled cooked salmon

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• dairy sour cream or plain yogurt or fried eggs, optional

Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the potatoes and carrots and toss to coat the vegetables with the pan fat. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are lightly crispy. Add the onion and continue to cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are tender and the vegetables are browned. Add the salmon, parsley, dill, salt and pepper and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for another 1-2 minutes to distribute the ingredients evenly and are heated through. Serve plain or top with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt o a fried egg (per serving)

Makes 4 servings

Roast Beef Hash

Did I really do this? Did I actually pay $.99 apiece for duck eggs? Just because I haven’t eaten a duck egg in years and they were sitting there, lovely looking and daring me to choose my favorites, as if any of them looked any different from any of the others? Tempting me, the way the gum and candy tempt kids while their caretakers wait with them on the checkout line at the supermarket? 

Yep. I did it. Bought four of them. 

When you pay that much for eggs, I think you should eat them like eggs. I mean, for themselves and not mixed into something like a cake or pancake batter. 

That’s what I did. Sunnysides, right on top of roast beef hash, which is a perfect counterpoint for two reasons. First, because when it comes to taste, the runny egg yolks ooze into the crispy meat and vegetables and gives all the crusty stuff a memorably voluptuous feel in your mouth. And second, hash uses up leftovers, which is a frugal way to balance the price of those eggs.

Roast Beef Hash

2 cups diced (1/4-inch cubes) Yukon Gold or “new” potatoes 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups diced mushrooms (1/4-inch cubes)

2 cups diced cold roast beef (1/4-inch cubes)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1/8 teaspoon cayenne, pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup frozen peas

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup beef or vegetable stock

4-8 Sunnyside eggs if desired

Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the potatoes, cook for 3 minutes and drain. Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until the cubes are beginning to crisp and brown. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2 minutes. Stir in the beef and season with the thyme, cayenne pepper and some salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peas and parsley, mix, and pour in the stock. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, turning the hash occasionally and loosening any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the hash is crispy and the liquid has evaporated. Serve with Sunnyside eggs, if desired. Makes 4 servings

Vegetable Hash

I’m not the kind of woman who tells her husband “we’re going on a diet” or “I’m serving smaller portions” or “lets go low-carb for a while.” Because those sorts of statements can be provocative and irritating and might start a conversation that won’t be pleasant when I’d rather talk about the Fiscal Cliff or the Debt Ceiling.

I just do it. I make less fattening food and serve smaller portions and make dinner with several vegetables instead of carbs and just never mention the obvious.

Ed is good with that and frankly, he’s an extraordinarily sharp guy who notices practically everything so I’m always surprised when he says something like “really, we’ve been on a low/no carb regimen?”

So he isn’t yet aware of the “meatless, more vegetarian” thing yet. But I have been making more vegetarian meals lately. 

Last week I made Veggie Burgers that looked like real, raw beef (and were absolutely wonderful on toasted multigrain bread with a little Dijon mustard spiked mayo). This week I made Vegetable Hash. It has lots of crispy bits of caramelized vegetables and loads of onion (Ed loves that). I topped the hash with Sunnyside-Up eggs. When you break the yolk it runs into the crusty stuff below and gives it that rich, velvety coat that tastes so good and feels so good on your tongue.

It was so delicious I decided to make it for our cousins Les and Neil, our annual New Year’s sleepover guests. We usually have smoked salmon, bagels and such on New Year’s Day, but sometime during their visit over the long weekend, we’ll be eating Vegetable Hash with Sunnyside Eggs. 

In my opinion it’s way better than corned beef hash, but I wouldn’t ask Ed to compare. I’ll just serve this and keep quiet about it and watch him eat up every morsel on the plate and nibble on any leftovers cold from the fridge.

Vegetable Hash

• 8-10 large Brussels sprouts

• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, approximately

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/3 cup vegetable stock (or use cream)

• 3 tablespoons chopped chives

• Sunnyside-up eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the Brussels sprouts into small chunks and wash thoroughly under cold running water; drain. Place the Brussels sprouts, carrots and parsnips on a baking sheet. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over the vegetables and toss to coat the pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes or until tender. Set aside. While the vegetables are roasting, cook the diced potatoes in lightly salted simmering water for about 8 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain and add to the roasted vegetables. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Place the butter in the sauté pan. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the vegetables, stirring and mashing them slightly for the first minute. Pour in the stock and add the chives and stir to incorporate them into the vegetables. Cook, flipping the hash once, for about 15-20 minutes or until browned and crispy. Add some olive oil if needed to prevent the vegetables from over-browning or sticking to the pan. Serve the hash topped with Sunnyside-up eggs.

Makes 4-6 servings