Confession time: I don't like eating leftovers.
Don't get me wrong, I'm totally on Team #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 its corned 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 involve anything, 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, and turkey are all perfect for hash. Don't have any of that on hand? Use bacon or sausage (fresh chorizo is 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, or shallot: take your pick of allium and 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 of potato, sweet potato, or yam will 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 in olive oil, canola oil, bacon fat, or ghee. 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 of hash, but don't miss the opportunity to add some extra veggies. This is where those leftover sautéed mushrooms you have sitting in the fridge come in, or that single ear of grilled corn on the cob leftover from the weekend's cookout, or that big bunch of kale you need to make a dent in. Bell peppers, carrots, spinach, and even fennel and apples are 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.)
Add the meat back into the mix, give it a stir and a taste, and adjust the seasoning. This is also the time to add some spices and fresh herbs.
4. Put an Egg On It
Sometimes I cook my eggs right in the hash. Sometimes I like to cook them on the side. (I prefer a soft-boiled 5-minute egg.) Do whichever you prefer, but know that if you cook them right in the hash, you'll have one less pot to wash. Just make a couple of little nests in the hash and crack an egg into each. Slide the skillet into a hot oven and bake until the eggs are just set, or cover the skillet with a lid and continue cooking until the eggs are set.
5. Garnish and Serve
A flurry of chopped fresh herbs is my favorite way to finish a skillet of hash. A sprinkling of cheese works too. Then again, so does some salt and pepper. Homemade hash is so good, isn't doesn't need a whole lot. And now that you know how to make breakfast hash, make it any time of day you please.
