YEA! The Food Network’s weekly food events are back in full swing again. This time we are focusing on comfort foods for the winter, giving you all some wonderful options to feed your soul as well as your bodies. Today we are all making special comforting breakfasts just for you!
After all of the overindulgence of the holiday season, I thought it would be fun to make a healthy breakfast hash with a lot of vegetables. Hash is one of those recipes that you can make in a lot of different ways. You can keep it very simple, change up the seasonings or add unusual ingredients if you like. There really is no wrong way to make it.
I have been doing a lot of recipe development recently and I have a ton of extra vegetables in the bins that need to be used so I went refrigerator diving! I love creating fun meals that have lots of vegetables in them and tons of flavor.
I pulled everything out and put it on the counter to inventory. I selected the vegetables I wanted to play with and then I went into my stash in the freezer to find the rest of the ingredients.
I found a bag of Alexia Harvest Sauté potatoes with vegetables in the freezer and knew that it would be a great addition to the hash as well as providing the potatoes we all love. I was right – they were delicious! The mixture comes with a sage-flavored olive oil package, which is perfect if you are making this as a side dish, but because I had fresh thyme on hand, I left it out and used regular olive oil instead. Now I was set to get going at the stove!
Today I decided to use some poblano peppers I had in the refrigerator and that led me to go in the Southwestern direction with seasonings. Some cumin, paprika and corn kernels, and suddenly a traditional hash tastes like you are enjoying it in Arizona. It is amazing how that happens, LOL.
Frying poblano peppers and onions
If you make a vegetarian version of hash it will keep for several days in the refrigerator. Make it ahead and reheat it on the morning you plan to serve it. Then cook up the eggs, plop them on top of the hash, and you have a quick and super easy breakfast! And if you have people who don’t like eggs, just leave them off and you have an amped up version of country fried potatoes.
The prettiest presentation of the eggs it to cook them sunny side up, which means that you fry them on one side only without flipping them. This gives you the beautiful yellow yolks perched on the solid egg whites. The trick is to fry them in medium-hot olive oil with a little butter added. This gives you the healthy benefits of oil with the flavor of butter. The best of both worlds!
The next time you have a bunch of vegetables in your refrigerator, I hope you will consider making some hash to serve with your eggs. It is a wonderful way to start your day!
- Hash
- 2 tbsp organic olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, stem and seeds discarded, finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds discarded, minced
- 1/2 bunch fresh thyme, about 8 to 10 stems, rinsed well
- 1 bag (14 oz) Alexia Harvest Saute or about 4 large red-skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Eggs and Garnishes
- 4 to 8 eggs
- 2 tbsp organic olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 green onions, tough tops discarded, green and light green portions thinly sliced
- Your favorite salsa, for serving
- Prepare the Hash: In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, stir in the onions, poblano peppers, celery, carrots, jalapeno, and thyme sprigs. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
- Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the center of the pan. Raise the heat back to medium-high and when the oil is shimmering, pour the Alexia Harvest Saute into the center. Spread it out into a single layer and leave it to cook without stirring until the potatoes are browning. Toss, redistributing the potatoes so a different side is down and continue browning until golden and crispy. Toss occasionally and cook about 10 more minutes.
- Stir in the corn and add the cumin and paprika. Toss until everything is evenly seasoned. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss again. Remove from the heat and, if making in advance, set aside to cool. If serving right away, divide the hash between four bowls, set them on a baking sheet, and keep warm in a low oven.
- Cook the Eggs: In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until you can feel the heat when you hold your hand over the pan. Break four of the eggs into the skillet and let sit for a second until the whites just start to set up a little and turn white. Carefully spoon some of the hot oil over the whites of the eggs, avoiding the yolks and working your way around the skillet until the whites are fairly firm when you tap them with the spoon.
- Now spoon some of the oil over the yolks to set them. Cook the eggs to your desired doneness; the longer you leave them in the skillet and the more oil you spoon over them, the firmer they will be. I like mine fairly soft so the yolk will combine with the vegetables and make a sort of sauce. Cooking the eggs over medium heat gives you the time you need to baste the eggs with the oil without overcooking them. Use a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the eggs to the bowls with the hot hash. Repeat with the remaining four eggs if you are serving two eggs per person. Sprinkle with green onions and serve with the salsa on the side.
- This is a filling, warming, comforting and healthy breakfast any time of the year!
Create a New Tradition Today!
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