So to kick us off for the new year, let’s start with the most important meal of the day… or if you enjoy a good breakfast-for-dinner like I do, then just about anytime.   This, my friends, is a kickass hash.

I feel bad for hashes.  They’ve got a pretty bum rap.  Probably because most of them are… pretty bad.  Gray, lumpy concoctions of some sort of over-salted canned meat mashed with yesterday’s homefries in a greasy spoon diner.  Hash has been around since the 1600s as a way of making unpalatable leftovers more palatable.  But when you start with delicious, fresh ingredients, a hash can be so much more.

Chicken-Apple Sausage Hash with Roasted Asparagus
Makes 4 Dinner Servings
For the Hash:

1.5 lbs red skinned potatoes, 1/2 inch dice
4 links of chicken-apple sausage, diced to the same size as the potatoes
1/2 a sweet onion, very finely diced
1/2 gala apple, very finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, 1/4 inch dice (optional)
2-3 stems of fresh thyme (about 1/2 tsp chopped thyme leaves)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
4 eggs

First thing’s first, you gotta par-boil your potatoes.  I prefer the skins on the reds, but feel free to peel them.  Chop them up into uniform pieces like-a-dis:

Boil your potatoes for 8 minutes in salted water.  You’re looking for an al-dente on the potatoes, so not quite all the way cooked through.  Otherwise the potatoes will be too soft when they hit the skillet to brown later.  Go ahead and drop the taters into a strainer and set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, put the biggest skillet you’ve got over medium-high heat and add a little bit of oil to coat the pan.  Toss in your diced sausage to brown.  Remember, the sausage is already cooked, so you’re just trying to get some color on it.  Remove from the skillet and set aside, like-a-dat:

Back to the skillet!  Drop the heat down to medium and toss in your chopped apple, onion, and red pepper if you’re feeling that.  Saute until they soften up and become translucent, then add the garlic and thyme and cook another minute.  Check it:

Ok, time to get serious.  Add some more oil, or better yet, a couple tbsp of butter to your pan.  Dump the potatoes into your skillet and stir gently to mix evenly with the onions.   The potatoes will take about 10 minutes to brown, and you’ll need to flip them every couple of minutes to make sure they brown evenly, so keep your eye on the skillet.

Meanwhile, in another skillet, its time to fry your eggs.  (Now’s also a good time to stick the asparagus into the oven if you’re making that too, so everything finishes at the same time.  The recipe for this follows the hash.)  I like a combo of olive oil and butter, probably 1 tbsp each for 4 eggs.  Make sure you season your eggs early so the salt and pepper sticks before the eggs solidify.  Cook them to your liking, but in my opinion, hash works best with a nice runny, sunny side up egg.  That way the yolk makes a delicious lil sauce for your hash/asparagus.  Oh yeah.  It’s a great thing.  Back to the taters, precious.

So as the potatoes finish up their browning, I like to add a little broth when the pan becomes dry.  It helps bring everything together.  Some leftover gravy works really well here (think thanksgiving leftovers: replace the sausage with cooked turkey and the stock with the gravy and toss in a handful of cooked peas close to the end… serious yum.)   Take a taste and adjust your seasonings if necessary.  Then toss in your chopped parsley and stir gently to coat evenly.  See those eggies working in the background too?

At this point, your hash is done, your eggs should be beautifully fried and you just pulled the asparagus out of the oven.  Way to go, you!  I serve the egg overtop of a nice pile of hash with the beauteous asparagus on the side.  You dig?:

Here’s that yolky sauce I was talking about… yes ma’am.

And let’s not forget about that asparagus…..

For the Roasted Asparagus:

1 large bunch of medium-thickness asparagus
1 – 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice OR 2 tbsp lemon vinaigrette

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Chop off the woody ends of the asparagus.  Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.   Place on a high rack in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes, flipping the asparagus once for even browning.  The asparagus is done when the stalks become slightly flimsy and have a hint of carmelization to them.  Remove from oven, and drizzle with fresh lemon juice or a delicious vinaigrette.  Serve hot or room temperature with just about anything!

You will need:

-4 cups old fashioned oats (not the instant or quick cooking kind), also called rolled oats
-1 cup nuts (I used almonds and walnuts here)
-1 cup dried fruit (I used a mixed berry blend from Trader Joes)
-1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
-1/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Step The First:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take the oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla extract and put it in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until the sugar and honey dissolve.

Step the Second:

Take the oats and nuts, put them in a large ovensafe glass pan or baking sheet, and mix them all around.

Step the Third:

Take your nice melty sugary mixture and pour it over the oats and nuts. Action shot!

Mix that all up until the oats and nuts are evenly coated.

Step the (pictureless) Fourth:

Stick that mofo in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Go play Mario Kart. Come back, stir. Repeat for another 15 minutes. After that, if the granola is nice and goldeny, take it out, if not, another 15 minutes.

Step the Last:

Spread out some wax paper or foil on a counter and pour the granola onto that. Let cool until touching it doesn’t burn you ALIVE, then mix in the dried fruit. Allow to cool completely, break up any large chunks, and store in an airtight container. Then eat it!

The awesome thing about granola is you can adjust it to your tastes. Need it more sweet than this recipe? Up the sugar content. I hate both maple syrup and coconut flakes (granola staples), so I’ve left them out. You like them? Add them back in! A few granola flavor ideas:

- pumpkin seeds and cherries
- cashews, raspberries, and chocolate
- pecans, apples, and blueberries

Variety is the spice of life. Now go make some. Do eeeet!

P.S. – A note about honey

If at all humanly, physically, and spiritually possible, get yourself to a farmers market to buy honey. I thought I hated honey because I’d only ever had the SueBee stuff from the grocery store. The farmers market stuff tastes so much more awesome and generally they’ll give you a taste before you buy. In a pinch Whole Foods carries some decent honeys. Also, check out different varieties. It’s listed on the label, like Orange Blossom or Wildflower, depending on what the bees collected the pollen from. My personal favorite is Sage honey. Mmmmmmm….