Chorizo Hash

I don't know about where you're reading this, but all this week, here in Virginia, we have been struggling through a heat wave. Weather like this makes me not want to heat up the house when its time to cook dinner...or have big bubbly meals for that matter. So, yesterday, I had a hankering for burgers. What does this have to do with the chorizo hash I made for breakfast? Hold on, I am getting there...

We were out running errands that afternoon, and since we were out, I decided to run into the butcher shop downtown. Seriously folks, if you are blessed enough to have one in you town, use them! But I digress, our shop has the best, freshest ground beef that you can imagine, so its worth it. On this trip, however, I wasn't alone, my husband was there with me, and he can NOT walk past the case full of handmade sausages with out drooling a little, ok maybe a lot, or without grabbing a few. So thats how we ended up with chorizo and he wanted some for breakfast.  So, here we go....

So, to start out you're going to want to boil your potatoes for about 20-25 minutes. This makes their cook time in the skillet just long enough to brown the edges nicely. Also, you aren't make mashed potatoes here, so lets only boil them long enough to make them soft...or al dente if you will...

You should also preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Now, while the potatoes are rocking on the next burner, lets get to cooking our chorizo. I did just under a pound of fresh chorizo, casing removed. How many links you'll need depends on size and where they are from, so just go by weight here.

Be sure to break up the chorizo as its cooking.

When I can, I try to be efficient in the kitchen...I mean as efficient as a person can be while there is a toddler hanging from their leg or a dog eating god knows what. So, while everything is cooking I chopped up the veggies we're going to need for the hash.

Now, I happen to love shallots, its a love affair that started about 2 years ago and man is it still going strong.   ::SIGH::    So, for my hash, I used a large shallot and about half of a red onion (left over from burgers last night). That didn't seem like it would be quite enough pep for me, so I also did 2 green onions. I like the flavor and I could use some of the green part for color.

As you can see, I also chopped about 1/2 a cup of flat leaf Italian parsley to keep things interesting.

At this point, the chorizo should be cooked through, so I am adding the shallot, red onion, and green onion. Add whatever you are using and cook until softened; that should take somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 minutes.

Just doing a bit of seasoning...little salt, little pepper...if you like it really hot, you could add some pepper flakes...

Now add the parsley and green part of the green onions....hmmmm green part of the green onions, thats maybe an odd statement.

You should just stir to incorporate these guys, they aren't really getting cooked here.  Once they are stirred in, transfer the whole thing to a mixing bowl.

Alright, remember those potatoes? Its been about 20 minutes here, so its time to get them out of the pot and into the frying pan. Do yourself a favor here, and after you drain them, soak them in ice water for just a minute or two. This stops them from cooking more and it will make them easier to handle.  Can you touch them yet? Awesome, say about a 1 inch dice?

So, depending on how spicy you want your hash, you could either wipe the chorizo juice out of the skillet or you can leave it and let it have its way with the potatoes. I like spicy so I left it. To the pan you want to add about 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once thats hot again add your potatoes.

Once the potatoes are all crispy and yummy, add the chorizo back in and mix.

Here is a great trick. If you use the back of a serving spoon or a ladle, you can create a little spot for your eggs to go. Its nice when the white and the yokes don't get separated from one another...don't you think?

So, eggs in their spots. Then put the whole thing into the oven. 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until the eggs cooked to your liking.

Voila! Sprinkle with more salt, pepper, and parsley if that makes you happy.

Chorizo Hash

2 lbs potatoes (yukon gold, red, ect)

1 lb fresh chorizo, uncased

1 yellow onion, chopped (or shallot, red onion, ect)

1/2 cup flat leaf italian parsley 

1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

6 eggs

Preheat the oven to 400°. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook over moderate heat until tender, about 25 minutes; drain and let cool with iced water.

Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Add the chorizo, break it into chunks with a wooden spoon until cooked through and lightly browned. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Heat the oil in the skillet. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden and crispy. Stir in the chorizo mixture. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Using a ladle or serving spoon, make indentions in the top of the potato-chorizo mixture. Crack and egg into each one. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until the white are set, but the yolks are still runny.