Ham Hash

Prepare yourselves!! This is one of those dishes that requires leftovers and the best time to get the right kinds of leftovers is a holiday. When else do you end up with tubs of leftover ham? And if you don't normally prepare a ham, maybe you should think about it. It is Easter next week, after all. So, get a ham... get a big ham... and revel in the leftover possibilities.

I made this after our Christmas feast with my husband's family. We had oodles of spiral ham left over. Hash doesn't always look like much, but it really is the cat's meow. Trust me.

You can use whatever mix of goodies strikes your fancy, but I typically turn to potatoes, onions (both regular and scallions), and eggs, along with my ham. Oh yeah, and cheese. You can't forget the cheese! Since the potatoes have to be cooked first and take a little bit, you can get them going and then prepare your other ingredients while they cook.

Heat a 3-4 TBS of oil in the bottom of a large skillet. I like to use a non-stick skillet for this recipe, but you can use whatever you've got. Heat over medium-high heat and - once it is preheated - add your 1/2 inch diced potatoes and regular onion. I like to leave the peel on, but you can peel them if you like, of course. Save the green onion until the very end to keep it tasting nice and fresh.

Continue cooking the potatoes, turning occasionally. When they have a nice, golden crust and are tender through (anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on your stove), add the ham and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then, push the mixture to the sides so that you can pour the eggs into the middle to cook.


As the eggs cook, start to stir and turn them. When they are almost completely done, you can start stirring the whole mixture together. I like what this does to the overall texture... you end up with nice clumps of flavor "glued" together by the eggs.

The dish is now just about finished. The last step is to add the scallion and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and then serve. Remember, this is one of those dishes where the actual proportions and ingredients are completely up to you. That's the joy of hash. It's a blank slate waiting for your loving, tasty touch.

Now, go buy the biggest ham you can find! Hash on!