Great turkey hash – HEARTY and aromatic – is more than just chopped leftovers.
Corn and poblano peppers brighten turkey and sweet potato hash. Corn and poblano peppers brighten turkey and sweet potato hash. (Photograph by Jim Sherer, Styling by Catrine Kelty)
By Adam Ried
Boston Globe Magazine November 30, 2008
For me, the best part of Thanksgiving is digging into the leftovers the day after the feast. Of course there will be hot turkey sandwiches and soup made from the mighty carcass. Any leftover meat beyond that is an opportunity for reinvention.
This year, it will be turkey hash. Hash is that tried and true combination of finely chopped meat and potatoes, mixed with seasonings, patted compact in the pan, and cooked until it browns on the bottom. The browning is key, because it imparts a toasty flavor to the whole dish.
If you must start with raw potatoes, peel and dice them, and microwave on high for about 7 minutes, stopping to mix them a couple of times.
Whether you make hash from meat, fish, fowl, or just vegetables, poached or fried eggs are the classic accompaniment.
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1½ cups frozen corn, thawed
1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled if desired, cooked, and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2½ cups)
3 medium poblano peppers, charred over a gas flame or under a broiler, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips
1 pound leftover roasted turkey, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
Salt and black pepper
1/3 cup half-and-half
5 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lime juice, or to taste
Directions
In a large, heavy (preferably cast-iron) skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin, stir to mix, and cook until fragrant, about 40 seconds.
Add the corn, sweet potatoes, poblano peppers, turkey, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, black pepper to taste, and half-and-half, and stir to distribute.
Pat the mixture flat in the pan, and cook until moisture evaporates and the bottom begins to brown, 10 to 20 minutes.
With a wooden spoon, stir the hash, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the crust. Stir to distribute the brown bits into the hash, flatten it in the pan again, adjust heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until a new crust starts to form, about 5 minutes. Again, scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the crust.
Add the scallions and lime juice, stir to blend, adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper, or lime juice, if necessary, and serve at once.
source: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2008/11/30/mince_charming/