- Merrill
Weeks ago, I bought some fantastic-looking merguez sausage at the farmers' market. (In the winter, when the vegetable stands hold little more than a few sad looking potatoes, I tend to buy a lot of meat and eggs.) Unsure of what I wanted to d
o with it, I put it in the freezer and promptly forgot about it. Last week, while cleaning out the freezer, I came upon the merguez and moved it to the fridge, determined to make use of it. A couple days later, after taking stock of the rest of the contents of the refrigerator and finding a few sweet potatoes, an onion and some rosemary, it came to me: I'd rustle up a new kind of hash.
The resulting dish was well-balanced with great flavor from the merguez, which was garlicky and perfecty spiced. The sweet potatoes were a mellow contrast to the salty, spicy lamb, and crispy bits of caramelized onion flecked the hash like golden bits of candy. I think this hash would be perfect for brunch with a fried or poached egg on top.
Note: I recently heard that a friend of mine insists a true hash always includes cream. I confess I'm less than knowledgeable on the subject, but in response to this strong hash conviction -- and, my friend, you know who you are -- I suggest topping this off with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche. It will offset some of the saltiness and make it all a little more lush.
Merguez and Sweet Potato Hash
Serves 4
- Olive oil
- 1 pound lamb merguez, removed from its casings
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
-
merrill
I'm a native New Yorker with over a decade of experience as a private chef, cooking instructor and food writer/editor; I have a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu, as well as a highly practical BA in Comparative Literature (Italian and English). I live with my husband and daughter in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where we visit the farmers market most weekends.
Some past articles from this author you'll love:
A Potluck Lunch
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7 Comments on Merguez and Sweet Potato Hash:
I'm not an expert on hash either (unless loving to eat hash makes me an expert!), so adding cream to the dish is a new one for me. The combination of the spicy sausage with the mellow sweet potato sounds absolutely delicious. And with that poached (or fried egg with the runny yolk) on top? Perfect for a weekend brunch! Simple yet elegant.
Of course I could find no merguez, I suspect with Easter around the corner, but I always have sweet potatoes, onions and chorizo on hand so after draining the chorizo well, I made it with a few tweaks. I skipped the rosemary since that made more sense with the lamb but not the chorizo. I broke up a slice of fried bacon and added it to the potato/onions and after adding the cooked chorizo, added the fried egg on top and everyone wanted more...will use this again!!!
You're the second person I know of to bring up this whole cream-in-hash thing recently - and I had never heard of it, despite having eating more than my fair share of hash over the years! Cream or not, this looks great.
I love to make refrigerator SURPRISE dishes.
Last week I came up with a hash similar to yours. I used kielbasa, sweet potato, yukon gold potatoes. sweet yellow onion and rosemary and a little olive oil, salt and pepper. It was a great surprise that I'm sure we have not seen the last of. The next time I will try your idea of a dollop of sour cream.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoSounds delicious.
This looks so good right now...a perfect breakfast for a rainy spring morning. I love recipes like this that are born from rummaging through your freezer or fridge...often they're the best ones.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoI totally agree!
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