Towards a Unified Theory of Hash

The first time I tasted hash, I fell in love. My father, wanting to introduce me to a flavor memory from his youth, bought a can of corned beef hash to fry up for a weekend breakfast. The gelatinous log that slid out of the can looked horrifying, and the smell was reminiscent of wet dog food. As he broke the quivering mass apart and slowly browned it in butter, however, something magical began to happen. The aroma shifted from strange to delicious, picking up savory Maillard notes and the unmistakable smell of crispy potato. The formerly grey-pink sludge, as if through some mysterious alchemical process, transformed into a breakfast fit for a king with crispy edges and a rich chocolate color. For the final flourish, he poked four holes into the hash and cracked in eggs, covering the skillet to let them bake to soft perfection.

For many years, canned corned beef hash was the only hash, as far as I knew. I never lost my passion for it, to the point that when I moved to another country for college I had my parents send cans in their care packages. As I improved my cooking skills and learned more about food, I came to realize that hash was not a specific dish, but rather an age-old technique for making odds and ends delicious. People have been frying their leftovers in skillets for centuries, and the technique still does a far better job at making yesterday’s dinner seem appetizing and fresh than the microwave does.

While pretty much any assemblage of foods browned together could be called a hash, I have determined that hashes that reach the acme of deliciousness all share similar components. Follow these guidelines, and I promise you can cook some of the best breakfast you will ever eat, perfect for soaking up hangovers or wowing houseguests.

Starch

The backbone of any hash is some kind of starchy vegetable. You can use any tuber, depending on what you like. Beets make for a bright red, slightly sweet dish traditionally called red flannel hash. Sweet potatoes are great as well, and their relatively low calorie count and high fiber content make for a slightly healthier hash. If you want to go for pure deliciousness though, nothing beats a starchy potato varietal. Russets are great, as are Yukon golds and fingerlings. The most delicious hash is made with leftover roasted or boiled potatoes, because pre-cooked potatoes give you a wonderful contrast between fluffy interior and crispy exterior when fried in oil. You can start with raw potatoes, but you have to cut them small and the texture won’t be as nice.

Meat

Potatoes bring heft and crispiness, but for hash to truly be hash, it also needs to have umami and chewiness. That’s where meat comes in. Again, leftovers are great here. I personally love making hash with leftover barbecue, but ham, bacon, steak, chicken, pork, or really anything works. Smoked salmon is also delicious, and a great option for those who abstain from terrestrial animals. For vegetarians, mushrooms would do the best job of giving that crucial combo of savoriness and texture. Just make sure to pre-cook them by themselves before throwing them in the hash so they don’t release too much water into the mix. Water is the enemy of crispiness.

Alliums

Onions are great, and I use them in hash sometimes, but they have the disadvantage of being very high in moisture. When I do use them, I try to cook them hot so they brown a bit on the outside but retain a crisp sharpness in the interior. Most often, I forego onions and use either minced fresh garlic or onion and garlic powder. These don’t negatively impact the texture and still amp up the flavor of the dish.

Greenery

Greens aren’t strictly necessary in hash, but they provide a fresh flavor and bright color that really make what can be a homely, one-note dish pop. I never cook the greens into the hash, because that dulls their color and softens their flavor. Instead, I chop them fine and scatter them on top after the dish is cooked. My favorites are cilantro and scallion tops, because they play nice with almost everything and have a strong enough flavor to stand up to all the grease.

Heat

Again, not strictly necessary, but to my palate a touch of heat makes almost everything taste better. My favorite is to use some kind of minced fresh chili because it adds color, but failing that I’ll use a dash of cajun seasoning or smoked hot paprika. I also like topping my hash with some kind of bright red hot sauce because it enhances the visual appeal of the dish and brings a little acidity to the mix.

Process

The most important factor to get right when preparing hash is cooking technique. The best hash is a delicate balance of different textures, and this can only be achieved by cooking the ingredients in the correct order at the correct temperatures.

Start by heating up a healthy amount of fat in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Bacon grease or butter are the most delicious options, but if you’re not trying to kill yourself vegetable or canola oil work great as well.

While your oil is heating up, gather your ingredients so you have them in easy reach. Make sure your potatoes, meat, and onions are cut to approximately the same size, small enough that you can get all the elements of the hash in one reasonably sized forkful.

Once your oil is hot but not smoking, throw in your potatoes. You have to start with the potatoes by themselves or they will not crisp up properly. Stir the potatoes in the skillet until they are nicely browned on all sides, then add onions if using. Salt and pepper your potatoes heavily.

After the onions are a little brown around the edges throw in the meat and stir until warmed through. If you are using minced garlic and chilies or garlic powder, now would be the time to add them to the party.

When you are satisfied with the flavor and crispiness of your hash, turn the heat down very low, and form the hash into a contiguous mound in the middle of the skillet, about an inch thick. Poke holes into the top of the mound and crack eggs into the holes. You want your eggs far enough apart to have a border of hash separating them. This will make serving easier later. Cover the skillet and cook just until there’s no transparent white left in the eggs and a lovely crust has formed on the bottom of your hash. Garnish with the greens and hot sauce of your choice, and bring the sizzling skillet directly to the table. Eat greedily, with lots of coffee.