In the final recipe of the pork tenderloin series, Ms. Jones suggests Pork Hash – in this case, Red Flannel Pork Hash as it has beets in it. She also includes a lovely quick anecdote about cooking hash with Julia Child including tips for making a successful hash.
Though I didn’t quite get the hang of really making it a “hash” that feels like a cohesive lump of food, I suspect partly because I do not have a cast iron skillet, the flavors were delicious and it was a surprisingly satisfying stand-alone meal. Ms. Jones also suggests that the ingredients in this are variable – and I agree. You could easily make this with nearly any meat and with any vegetables that you have on hand.
The rules are: equal parts meat and potatoes. Cut everything into very small pieces, and cook it slowly to let any sugars carmelize together and form a glaze that will hold the hash together. Then, you can let the bottom brown to get that nice pan crust if you like.
This gave me one and a half servings of hash – so the next day I tossed a couple fried eggs on top of the leftovers and ate this with toast. I gotta say, that was the way to go. So comforting, so simple, and really very flavorful from all the root vegetables and…well, the butter.
Here’s what I did (adapted from The Pleasures of Cooking for One):
Chop everything into small, hash-sized pieces*
Melt the butter in a heavy pan. Stir in the onion and celery, cook until soften (~5 mins).
Add vegetables, meat and stock, salt and pepper, then cook slowly, covered, over low heat. (~10 mins)
Remove the cover and let the bottom brown a bit – but keep an eye on it. Brown is one thing, burnt is another. Mash it down with a spatula & flip it over (probably in chunks) to let the other side brown. Transfer to a plate or bowl, sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!
*I suspect this is another place where my hash making skills could use some improvement. I should have really chopped everything rather than the coarse dice that I did.
Looks tasty. mmm… fennel.