David Ross

David, I for one absolutely require soft rolls for burgers, fast food or homemade. I despise those "artisanal" pieces of crap some places insist on using that completely overwhelm the burger (in addition to making it harder to eat!). I too like a soft roll, but I don't just want it squished on top of the burger. A requirement in my kitchen, which restaurants and fast food joints rarely do, is to butter the bun and toast it first. That way I get a soft bun with a buttery, toasted side next to the burger. I do agree with you on the artisanal breads, too hard in most cases and far too large for the burger.

I'm certainly not a fan of Five Guys. That bun looks like it was squished in the back of the bread truck.

Geesh. You make candy. You make bacon. You have a Whole Foods. You have a pretty good life my friend!

I don't know why people still harp on about this given that this has happened every season since the beginning of the show. The standard format is that they cook in the titular place until it's winnowed to the final X, everyone takes a big break and the finals are cooked in another location, after the season has started airing. And I've constantly harped about it since season 1.

Roast Cod with Applewood-Smoked Bacon and Ratatouille-

Here's the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, 1976 edition. (Note: the recipe calls for cooking in the oven, but as you know from my photo descriptions, I fried the hash in cakes in a pan on the stovetop). "Best Oven Hash" 1 cup coarsely ground corned beef 1 cup coarsely ground cooked potatoes 1/4 cup coarsely ground onion 1/4 cup snipped parsely 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 6-oz can evaporated milk, (2/3 cup) 1/4 cup bread crumbs 1 tbsp butter, melted Mix first 6 ingredients, 1 tsp. salt and dash pepper. Turn into 1-quart casserole. Mix crumbs and butter, sprinkle atop. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, serves 4.

I'm thinking the reason it didn't cling together is that you used water for the liquid element rather than cream or a thick gravy that would have given your hash more body.

I personally can't event taste any dish that has a smidgeon of a beet in it, but I honestly thought based on the judges comments that Beverly would win it. If she hadn't mucked up the main focal point of the dish, the Char, she might have won over Sarah's albeit tough, braised rabbit. Sarah's dish of rabbit, cherries and hazelnuts fit perfectly in the setting of Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest, but I question why these Chefs often turn to a braising method when they know up front they don't have a lot of time to properly execute the dish. I'm constantly wondering why Bravo even puts a title on Top Chef. Why would you name the season Top Chef Texas and have the finale thousands of miles to the Northwest? Paul is my choice to win the title of Top Chef. He's been pretty consistent all season and has put together some really unique combinations in some of his dishes.

Isn't it a shame we're discussing the attitudes of the contestants rather than focusing on their dishes. For me, that sums up this deplorable season so far....too much attitude and not much exciting food.

In my mind, a traditional diner-style hash would use potatoes as the starch and be very crispy on the outer layer, soft within. But I also think adapted to today's tastes and styles, you could easily replace the hash another starch, yet still keep the crispy texture to define it as hash.

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.

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

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?

Yes, unfortunately each event is sold on an individual basis. They've never offered different packages, which would of course make sense. And while they list hotels as sponsors, the hotels don't offer a discount to Uncork'd attendees. If you do lots of events and then throw in your hotel, airfare and other expenses, it is a very expensive long weekend. I would add though that some of the events at Uncork'd, while expensive, are really once in a lifetime experiences. I've had a private lunch for 12 guests with Alain Ducasse, numerous private dinners with Guy Savoy and only 30 guests and an intimate brunch with Joel Robuchon. I've taken classes with many James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. In my world, the cost has been a small price to pay for the opportunity.

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?

Yes, unfortunately each event is sold on an individual basis. They've never offered different packages, which would of course make sense. And while they list hotels as sponsors, the hotels don't offer a discount to Uncork'd attendees. If you do lots of events and then throw in your hotel, airfare and other expenses, it is a very expensive long weekend.

May 10-13!

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

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.

It's that time of year where we once again begin planning our sojourn into the desert in search of the latest culinary offerings of Las Vegas at the 6th edition of Vegas Uncork'd. I'm a Member of the Vegas Uncork'd Lifetime Club at this point, having attended the annual event since its inception in 2007. A review of our previous reports,(stretching back to 2008), provides a revealing look at how the food scene in Las Vegas has evolved, devolved and become renewed once again. Check them out here, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. Las Vegas is constantly re-inventing itself and given the turmoil of the global economy and its effects on Sin City, no doubt the struggle to again become something new, fresh and exciting has been the biggest challenge facing the Chefs and Restaurants that reside within the boundaries of Clark County. Now with over a full year under his belt as Editor in Chief, Adam Rapoport commits to "taking the best of what has drawn more than 5,000 tourists to this event for the last five years and adding the editorial excitement and voice of the new Bon Appetit." "This is a brand-new Vegas Uncork'd," according to Mr. Rapoport, and one can see some of the new influence of the magazine on the list of new events added to the slate for Uncork'd 2012: -A Master Series Dinner with Chef Michel Richard of Central at Caesar's Palace. -"Follow that Food Truck," billed as a festival of the most-sought after food trucks from Las Vegas. (Yes, the food truck fad sweeping through the metropolises and small farm towns across America is coming to Las Vegas). -New cooking demonstrations with the "Too-Hot" Tamales. Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken were at the forefront of cooking on television before Food Network was born have found a new resurgence in recent years due to appearances competing on "Top Chef Masters." -New events at The Cosmopolitan Hotel including Chef Jose Andres, Costas Sipliadis and Scott Conant. -New Sunday Brunch events with Chef Charlie Palmer at Aureole and Brunch with the Pellegrino family at Rao's. Aside from the trappings and decadence of Uncork'd, we've been known to lurk into the truth behind what most only see as the façade of dining in Las Vegas and we won't let the week go by without once again supping at some of the restaurants not taking part in the festivities. Long gone from the Las Vegas calendar are the throngs of conventioneers that used to attend annual events like the Auto Dealers meetings. The bailout of GM didn't necessarily save independent dealers. You won't see 100,000 independent GM dealers trekking up and down the Strip looking for a place to eat, paying $40 bucks for prime rib and pushing $2,000 bottles of Cabernet through on the expense account. If they're still even in business,(and many of them aren't), the Auto Dealers are staying at home. Yet if that's true, then why do steakhouses not only thrive, but continue to open in Las Vegas today? Haven't the conventioneers left town? Are Mom and Pop still traveling to Las Vegas from Pocatello? Will they pay $60 dollars for Prime Rib and Yorkshire Pudding at Gordon Ramsey's new steakhouse in Las Vegas? Such are the questions Yours Truly seeks to answer each year when attending Uncork'd. And along with picking-up a few gossipy tidbits about Las Vegas along the way, we'll provide our usual insightful, opinionated, often sarcastic but always honest reviews of each little tasty nugget we devour at Uncork'd. You can access the 2012 Vegas Uncork'd website here. Click here for the terms under which this event is listed in eG Forums.

When I was a kid, Mother sometimes made breakfast for dinner. Tonight I had breakfast for dinner, but it sure wasn't like what Mother made--it was better! Tonight was the third hash I've made in the past week for the Hash Cook-Off here. Smoked Salmon Hash with Yogurt Dill Sauce and Pickled Ginger-

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-

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.

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?

What, are there no Great Texas Chefs left that are as worthy as PeeWee Herman of a seat at the Judges Table? I thought Emeril was from Massachusetts. Is that the town of Massachusetts, Texas?