Confession time: I don't like eating leftovers.
Don't get me wrong, I'm totally onTeam #Wasteless. But eat the same thing today as I did yesterday? No thanks.
Instead, I turn my leftovers into something completely new. And more often than not, that something new is hash. Leftover meat, leftover roasted veggies, that half an onion that's sitting in the fridge—it's all perfect for crisping up in a hot cast iron skillet with potatoes.
Hash is most well known in itscorned beef iteration, complete with a couple of fried eggs on top. But hash can be any collision of skillet-fried potatoes and meat. It doesn't have to involve corned beef. And honestly, the eggs are optional, too. Learning how to make breakfast hash is easy, because once you realize that hash can basically involveanything, you'll find yourself making it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and whenever else you happen to have a craving. And you won't need a recipe, because you'll just follow these five simple steps.
1. Choose The Main Meat
Leftover cooked meat or poultry are natural beginnings for hash. If you can shred it, you can hash it.Corned beef,carnitas,brisket,duck confit,roast chicken, andturkeyare all perfect for hash. Don't have any of that on hand? Usebaconorsausage(fresh chorizois always a favorite of mine).
Fry the meat in a large skillet with a bit of oil until hot and crisped, then transfer it to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving any fat or juices in the skillet for the next step. (Not eating meat? Jump straight to the next step.)
2. Add One Type of Allium and One Kind of Potato
Onion,leek,pearl onion, orshallot: take your pick ofalliumand dice it. (You don't even need a whole onion—this is the perfect time to use up that half onion leftover from another meal.) Next, pick a potato (or two). Any kind ofpotato,sweet potato, oryamwill work. Don't bother peeling it—just chop it into rough 1/4-inch cubes (consistency of size is more important than the size itself).
If you have rendered fat in your skillet, get it nice and hot and toss in the diced allium and potato. If you don't have rendered fat, cook the vegetables inolive oil,canola oil,bacon fat, orghee. Season the potatoes and onion with salt and cook over medium-high heat, keeping them in a single layer and stirring often, until the potatoes are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
3. Add Other Vegetables
Meat and potatoes may be the foundation ofhash, but don't miss the opportunity to add some extra veggies. This is where those leftoversautéed mushroomsyou have sitting in the fridge come in, or that single ear ofgrilled cornon the cob leftover from the weekend's cookout, or that big bunch ofkaleyou need to make a dent in.Bell peppers,carrots,spinach, and evenfennelandapplesare all great, too. Chop them up, stir them into the potatoes and onions, and cook just until the greens are wilted and the veggies are hot. (If you're adding raw veggies that may need more cooking time, such as carrots or fennel or bell peppers, you may want to sauté them on their own in a separate skillet while you cook the potatoes and onions, or just cook everything a little bit longer.)
