My fiancee and I love having breakfast for dinner (or, brinner, as we call it). I think many people will agree with our passion for pancakes after work, or scrambled eggs, bacon and a glass of wine while watching a DVD. There's something so comforting and homey about breakfast, but with hectic schedules, we just don't get to enjoy it often enough in the morning. So we make do, and make breakfast whenever we feel like it.
In my opinion, the single best breakfast food is hash. The versatile combination of veggies, potatoes and meat, served with perfectly fried over-easy eggs, is the most savory and satisfying breakfast one can prepare in less than 20 minutes. Although you can make hash with whatever meat you happen to have in the fridge (bacon, breakfast sausage, chicken, whatever), the best hash is made with leftovers from the night before, be it corned or roast beef.
What makes hash for brinner even more exciting, is the inclusion of alcohol in the recipe. I wouldn't think of using half a bottle of beer in a breakfast recipe, but when you're eating it at 6 pm rather than 6 am, it is suddenly both acceptable and delicious.
For my Leftover Brinner Hash, I like to start with a good pot roast or brisket recipe from a day or two before and work from there. The best one I've ever had is a Brisket Braised in Porter. Delicious, and almost better as brinner hash.
Makes 2 servings
Note: when making this hash, since you'll be using whatever leftovers you have, a good rule of thumb is to keep the ingredient ratio at about 1/3 meat, 1/3 veggies and 1/3 potatoes.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper (or other seasonal veggie like asparagus), chopped
1.5 c leftover meat, chopped
1.5 c leftover potatoes, chopped
6 oz c dark beer used in the brisket (or beef stock)
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 large eggs
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and throw the veggies in. Sautee them, stirring occasionally, until they're good and tender (7-8 minutes).
- Throw in the meat and potatoes and add about a cup of the beer or stock (this will help the flavors blend together and give the hash some cohesion).
- Let the meat and potatoes warm up as the liquid boils off and the flavors combine, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes. Meanwhile, fry the eggs in a separate pan (over easy is best, in my opinion).
- Check the hash, add salt and pepper to taste (this will depend a lot on your leftovers used and whether you used beer or stock). Its done when its warm throughout and the liquid is mostly gone.
- Serve the warm hash with a couple of fried eggs on top. Remember: the best part of eating hash is cutting into the eggs and letting the yolk run down into the hash, further blending the wonderful flavors.
