135 replies to this topic

[Katie Meadow]

Margaret, that recipe looks excellent. I love the idea of tossing in leftover greens, which I do sometimes have. Leftover beets are also not unknown to me. It's the corned beef that's a mystery, frankly.

[Katie Meadow]

Hey, my hash turned out great! Minimal ingredients, since I'm trying to use up stuff before going away for a long weekend. I think refrigerating the par-boiled potatoes is an excellent technique; it was a snap to then mince them into perfect little cubes (smaller than 1/4 inch.) Above thread there are several advocates for using russets. There didn't seem to be any down side to using yukon golds.

I weighed the virtues of bacon fat or oil, but went with just butter. First I sauteed some onion until golden, and removed it from the pan. Into the pan went the potatoes with ample butter; I stirred occasionally until they started to brown. Then I added back the onion, a couple of minced jalapenos that were not super hot, salt, a modest amount of dried Mexican oregano and fresh thyme and a sprinkle of paprika. I sort of turned the hash once or twice until it seemed nice and crisp, added a small amount of shredded ham and cooked it a few minutes more. My new non-stick pan worked way better than I thought it would.

About the onion. I have no idea if what I did was unnecessarily fussy, cooking the onions partially and then removing them, but for some reason I decided that if I put in the onion and the potato in at the same time the moisture from the onion might prevent the potato from getting crispy. And in the end, I think the onion needed a bit more total cooking time than the potatoes. So perhaps it would work equally well to halfway cook the onions, which would eliminate some moisture, and then simply add the potatoes to the pan and continue to cook.

With it we had a simple no-mayo kohlrabi and cabbage slaw and fresh baked warm cornbread. I had planned to serve the hash with a fried egg draped on top, but didn't remember until we were already eating. So much for short-term memory. There was no dessert, but it struck me that a baked apple in a puddle of cream would have been awfully nice.

[David Ross]

That sounds delicious. I'm working on "Hash #3" starting tonight-smoking a side of Sockeye Salmon for a Smoked Salmon Hash. I'll do the same recipe as the Corned Beef Hash-baked, chopped/processed potato, evaporated milk, chopped/shredded salmon. I'll do the poached egg again, but maybe a different sauce this time other than Hollandaise. I'm still thinking about the sauce at this point. Should I just do a lemony Hollandaise or something else for the Salmon Hash?

[Lindsey]

Am experimenting at work to try to make good old Scottish Stovies that look even semi presentable, these are just a theme on hash but boiled together rather than fried. The potatoes are softened in the beef gravy so a good stock foundation is important.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

That sounds delicious. I'm working on "Hash #3" starting tonight-smoking a side of Sockeye Salmon for a Smoked Salmon Hash. I'll do the same recipe as the Corned Beef Hash-baked, chopped/processed potato, evaporated milk, chopped/shredded salmon. I'll do the poached egg again, but maybe a different sauce this time other than Hollandaise. I'm still thinking about the sauce at this point. Should I just do a lemony Hollandaise or something else for the Salmon Hash?

Sorrel?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Ahaa! I have maybe a half pound of grilled skirt steak that needs attending and was thinking of chopping it up and making a parmentier. But maybe hash is the easier answer. Thanks, group!

[Katie Meadow]

That sounds delicious. I'm working on "Hash #3" starting tonight-smoking a side of Sockeye Salmon for a Smoked Salmon Hash. I'll do the same recipe as the Corned Beef Hash-baked, chopped/processed potato, evaporated milk, chopped/shredded salmon. I'll do the poached egg again, but maybe a different sauce this time other than Hollandaise. I'm still thinking about the sauce at this point. Should I just do a lemony Hollandaise or something else for the Salmon Hash?

Sorrel?

Maybe something bright to serve on the side like a raita or just sour cream/creme fraiche/greek yogurt with cucumbers and fresh dill?

[David Ross]

That sounds delicious. I'm working on "Hash #3" starting tonight-smoking a side of Sockeye Salmon for a Smoked Salmon Hash. I'll do the same recipe as the Corned Beef Hash-baked, chopped/processed potato, evaporated milk, chopped/shredded salmon. I'll do the poached egg again, but maybe a different sauce this time other than Hollandaise. I'm still thinking about the sauce at this point. Should I just do a lemony Hollandaise or something else for the Salmon Hash?

Sorrel?

Maybe something bright to serve on the side like a raita or just sour cream/creme fraiche/greek yogurt with cucumbers and fresh dill?

Thanks for the ideas. I'm combining them with a few other items and I think I'm close to the sauce for my smoked salmon hash.

[David Ross]

Tonight I did a Smoked Salmon Hash using some of the basic techniques from the first hash.

Russet potato, baked then chilled overnight, (as used in Hash #2). On day two I pulsed the potato in the food processor-


Next up was some alderwood smoked Coho salmon from Seattle. The salmon I smoke at home doesn't come close to the quality of the commercial smoked salmon we have in the Northwest. This salmon was brined and then smoked, giving it both a sweet, yet salty, smokey flavor. Alder is found throughout our forests on the West side of the State-


This salmon was very moist and tender so I didn't want to destroy it in the food processor. I just flaked it by hand and rough cut it into small pieces-


The salmon and potato were combined with onion, parsely, chives and Worcestershire sauce and evaporated milk, (as used in Hash #2). I also added some applewood smoked salt from Yakima, Washington, home to some of the great Washington apple orchards-


Rather than a poached egg, I made a sauce, (thanks to the above suggestions), that was a mix of both Greek yogurt and sour cream, lemon juice, dill pickle relish, diced cucumber, dill and chives. I didn't want a traditional tartar sauce based in mayonnaise because I thought it would be too thick and rich for the salmon. This style of "tartar" sauce was much lighter yet more tangy and went perfectly with the smoked salmon. For some reason I garnished the hash with some pickled ginger. I didn't really know how it would work with the other flavors but I figured I needed something pickled to cut through the rich smoked salmon. It ended up giving a nice accent to the hash-

[Chris Hennes]

I'm going to make a hash with a leftover chunk of sous vide 72 hour brisket, I think tomorrow for dinner. I'd like to get a texture in between what David is getting with his baking and food-processor technique and hand-dicing: potato that is sort of the texture of Ore-Ida hash browns. Any ideas how to do that?

[David Ross]

I'm going to make a hash with a leftover chunk of sous vide 72 hour brisket, I think tomorrow for dinner. I'd like to get a texture in between what David is getting with his baking and food-processor technique and hand-dicing: potato that is sort of the texture of Ore-Ida hash browns. Any ideas how to do that?

So I'm curious. What is the texture of a sous vide 72-hour brisket? Is it really soft? I'm wondering how it will breakdown when cooking in a hash?

For the potatoes, you might want to employ my baked technique, cool overnight in the fridge. Then instead of pulsing/dicing like I did in the processor, gently shave the potato on a large box grater. That might give you the Ore-Ida hash brown texture.

[Chris Hennes]

The sous vide brisket has had basically all the collagen between the long muscle strands melted away, so if you cut it across the grain it's melt-in-your-mouth tender. But if you instead shred it along the fibers you wind up with a sort of unique texture that I was hoping to take advantage of in the hash.

[David Ross]

The sous vide brisket has had basically all the collagen between the long muscle strands melted away, so if you cut it across the grain it's melt-in-your-mouth tender. But if you instead shred it along the fibers you wind up with a sort of unique texture that I was hoping to take advantage of in the hash.

Interesting. I'll be looking forward to photos and how you feel the texture works in the hash. And of course how it tastes!

[Chris Hennes]

I'm still pondering how to get the potato texture I want: I'm not convinced baking them ahead will do the trick. I'm thinking I want to food-process them raw, to ensure that the piece stay in discrete chunks. Maybe then cook the potato sous vide so that it doesn't turn to mush? Then bring the beef up to temp at the last minute, toss together, and sear?

[David Ross]

I'm still pondering how to get the potato texture I want: I'm not convinced baking them ahead will do the trick. I'm thinking I want to food-process them raw, to ensure that the piece stay in discrete chunks. Maybe then cook the potato sous vide so that it doesn't turn to mush? Then bring the beef up to temp at the last minute, toss together, and sear?

Just be careful if you process the potatoes raw. As you know they have a lot of starch and the speed of the processor could turn the potato into glue. I've never tried it that way so I say try it and see what happens. Anyone out process raw potatoes?

[Dave the Cook]

I'm going to make a hash with a leftover chunk of sous vide 72 hour brisket, I think tomorrow for dinner. I'd like to get a texture in between what David is getting with his baking and food-processor technique and hand-dicing: potato that is sort of the texture of Ore-Ida hash browns. Any ideas how to do that?

I'm not clear on the result you're trying to achieve. Do you want to recreate tots ("gems" to our friends down under) as a component of the hash, or are you after something much smaller, like a tot "crumb" -- maybe 1/16" inch?

[Chris Hennes]

OK, I started by dicing the potato roughly:


Then into the food processor until it was a hash:


And into a bag with some butter and salt:


I'm going to cook them at 85°C for 45 minutes or so, then chill.

[Chris Hennes]

I'm going to make a hash with a leftover chunk of sous vide 72 hour brisket, I think tomorrow for dinner. I'd like to get a texture in between what David is getting with his baking and food-processor technique and hand-dicing: potato that is sort of the texture of Ore-Ida hash browns. Any ideas how to do that?

I'm not clear on the result you're trying to achieve. Do you want to recreate tots ("gems" to our friends down under) as a component of the hash, or are you after something much smaller, like a tot "crumb" -- maybe 1/16" inch?

The latter: maybe not quite that fine, but something like it. I think I managed to achieve more or less what I was looking for. Obviously there is some variability to the chunk size, but I think that's probably desirable.

[Dave the Cook]

Got it. Your method makes sense, since tots were originally devised by Ore-Ida as a way to use up shards left over from making fries, weren't they? I'm wondering if you're not going to have to add another step for authentic tot crunch -- some starch, or pre-frying or something. Otherwise, you've just got irregular potato shapes. Or maybe that's what you want.

[Chris Hennes]

I'm not going for Tater Tots themselves, I was just trying to describe what I wanted the potato hash texture to be like. But now that you mention it... hmmm

[Dave the Cook]

Our hash was made from pork shoulder and two potato varieties, Yukon Gold and mature reds. We were shooting for a crispy crust, especially on the potato. Several folks have suggested getting the potatoes 3/4 of the way done before adding onions (and peppers, which we didn't use) to help avoid softening the potato surface, but we went a step further, doing the onions and meat separately, then adding them at the last minute. Here, more or less, is the recipe:

2 C roast pork, finely diced (1/4")
2 C waxy potatoes, finely diced
1 C chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C rich stock (we used beef, but it probably doesn't matter)
1/4 C heavy cream
2 t pork fat
1 T duck fat

(Yeah, the fats are odd, but we had the pork fat leftover from the roast, and duck fat was close at hand -- plus poultry fat + potatoes = some kind of magic.)

Heat oven to 450°F.

Cook the onions in the pork fat until they separate and pick up a little color. Add the pork and stock and heat through. Add cream and reduce slightly. Adjust seasoning.

Brown the potatoes in duck fat with a little salt until crispy. We used a cast-iron skillet, because we knew we were going to put it in the oven, but any oven-safe saute or fry pan will do.

Pour the meat-onion mixture over the potatoes, being careful to disturb the potatoes as little as possible.

Put the pan in the oven for about ten minutes, until top is browned and liquid has thickened.

Plate and top with poached egg, if desired.

Here's the hash right out of the oven:




And here it is plated, with an egg and scallion garnish:




This was an excellent example of a "crispy-with-separate-bits" hash. The potatoes retained their crunch, the meat picked up a little crust, and the brief stay in the oven brought the liquid down to a glaze, leaving enough moisture (along with the egg as sauce) to prevent dryness in the mouth.

[David Ross]

Nice Hash Dave. What did you think about the waxy potatoes? I'm a Russet guy myself and prefer their meatier taste. Did you just use the potatoes you had in the larder?

[David Ross]

OK, I started by dicing the potato roughly:


Then into the food processor until it was a hash:


And into a bag with some butter and salt:


I'm going to cook them at 85°C for 45 minutes or so, then chill.

Looks like a solid technique for your potatoes. You've got me hungry for some hash.

[Chris Hennes]

I made the hash tonight for dinner, using the sous vide potatoes I'd cooked yesterday, and a leftover chunk of sous vide brisket from this past weekend. Here is the texture of the beef I decided to go with (I pulled it like pork, and then cut down the strands to bite-sized pieces)


I started assembly by frying up some onions:


When they started to brown I deglazed the pan with chicken stock:


Then added cream and some leftover lentils:


I then gently tossed it all together to avoid crushing the potatoes (which were cooked to a firm consistency):


Then I fried it all up together:


I didn't feel like poaching an egg, so I just fried mine:


Overall I thought it was very successful, definitely among the best hashes I've had. The beef had enough bite to it that it was texturally interesting without being tough, and the potatoes were just firm enough to retain their identity. The lentils were pretty subtle, they were a fine addition since I had them on hand, but I wouldn't go out of my way to add them again.

[David Ross]

That's a beautiful hash Chris-nice dice/hash on the ingredients, not too chunky, and you can't hardly tell that there was much liquid in the hash, yet just enough to bind it together. Who would think to put lentils in a hash? Now I do.

[Chris Hennes]

Do you all think potatoes are a required element, or could you add some other starchy item?

[Dave the Cook]

Nice Hash Dave. What did you think about the waxy potatoes? I'm a Russet guy myself and prefer their meatier taste. Did you just use the potatoes you had in the larder?

I don't find that there's big difference in taste among potatoes (for example, I don't know what you mean by "meaty"), particularly when there's lots of other stuff going on like there is in hash. The significant difference for me was that I was starting the potatoes from scratch, and I didn't want to parboil -- in fact, in the size I used, parboiling seemed superfluous. In this case -- going straight to the pan -- the waxy type seemed the better bet.

[Dave the Cook]

Do you all think potatoes are a required element, or could you add some other starchy item?

I think it's a challenge if you're going for "crispy" -- potatoes are good at "crispy outside/fluffy inside." But I could see other starches working under the right circumstances. Bean, rice and grits cakes can all be crispy.

[Chris Hennes]

Hmm. That hash I made yesterday might have had some nominally crispy bits, but I wasn't really shooting for "crispy". Was I supposed to?

[Dave the Cook]

If you were making it for me, yes. I think a successful hash hath crispiness to a more than nominal degree.