Comforting and versatile, hash is a cook's best friend. It can be thrown together with almost anything you have on hand in the fridge and/or pantry, making it the go-to solution for many weeknight dinners or weekend breakfast dilemmas.
Meat and potatoes lie at the heart of most hash dishes. The meat, traditionally chopped roast beef or corned beef, is typically already cooked. The potatoes also are usually cooked before being tossed into a hot skillet, along with the meat and sautéed onions, to cook to crusty perfection.
Yes, it's basic, but it's hearty and satisfying, especially when topped off with an egg, either baked into the hash itself or cooked separately, but always with a runny yolk that transforms into a simple sauce the minute it's pierced with a fork.
While hash has always been thought of as a homey dish, chefs all over the country are including it on menus, sometimes using it to highlight more sophisticated ingredients. Duck confit or lamb and beets or sweet potatoes often stand in for the more traditional protein and starches. The variations are limitless.
This week, I'm taking this mix-and-match dish in a different direction with the addition of chorizo, butternut squash and poblano chiles.
Chorizo is a pork sausage that comes in two versions: fully cooked or smoked, from Spain, and fresh (uncooked) from Mexico. For this recipe, we are using the fresh Mexican variety, which can be found in the meat department of most grocery stores. It's a full-flavored sausage that can range from mild to hot with a boldness that holds up well to the sweet cubes of butternut squash and earthy poblano chiles.
To turn the dial up on this hash, a variety of garnishes — creamy avocado, crunchy pepitas and fresh cilantro — are generously showered over the top, before a fried egg and fresh lime wedges seal the deal.
While this may not be the hash you grew up with, like a best friend, you're sure to enjoy it.
