Potato Hash (or) To the Chef go the Spoils!

I have a very good friend named Teri who has two teenage daughters. One of her daughters is very interested in cooking-I love this girl. She is sweet, well mannered, well spoken, very mature for her age, and a big kooky (in a good way!).

This Teri is the same friend Teri that was here for the "rattlesnake episode" (see MONDAY-AUGUST 22, 2011 entry). This particular lady is completely and totally unflappable. She is as cool as an autumn breeze under the worst of circumstances. So when she emailed me to tell me that one of her girls (the one interested in cooking) had cut themselves very badly while chopping veggies, and that she had sprouted a new crop of grey hair because of it, I knew she must have been truly and rarely panicked! I offered to immediately teach her girls some knife skills. She came by today with two grocery bags full of various veggies and both of her beautiful daughters.

We chopped the afternoon away! I hope I imparted some wisdom on the girls about proper hand position and body dynamics while slicing, dicing, and chopping their way through dinner. Most of what they chopped up they took home. MOST...Teri elected to leave the potatoes behind. Now...I HATE to waste food, so I looked about my kitchen to see what I could make with diced potatoes, and I came up with bacon, onion, garlic, a clove of garlic, and a handful of frozen peas-VOILA, Hash!

My very good friend Mikey at Anson Restaurant in Charleston, SC once taught me the ins-and-outs of Hash. It is a dish that looks simple but is, in fact, something that should take some technique and time to master. There are many varieties of hash and Anson makes one of the best Sweet Potato hashes on Earth. It is sublime! This is just a plain potato version but you can use sweet potatoes if you have them.

Here is the recipe!

Hash in a Hurry
1 onion diced
1/2 Lb bacon-diced
3 potatoes-diced
1 clove garlic-crushed and minced
1/2 bell pepper-minced
1/2-1 cup frozen peas
season salt to taste (I use Lawry's)
In a very large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the onions and bacon 10-12 minutes until the onions are browned lightly.

Add the potatoes and cover.

 Cook for 15 minutes stirring every 4-5 minutes to prevent burning. Once the potatoes are fork tender, turn the heat to high and allow the mixture to brown, about 5 minutes stirring once or twice. Toss in the peppers and peas, and allow them to heat through.

Adjust the seasoning with the seasoned salt and serve hot.

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