Recipe: Pork & Hot Pepper Hash

 First, I want to apologize for not being more attentive to my blog of late. Between cleaning out my parents' house, keeping up with my classes, and trying to clear a path through my own house, time is tight these days. I certainly intended to be back blogging more frequently by now, but I underestimated the amount of time and emotional energy it would take to sort and organize 60 years of stuff. The good news is that I am making progress and think I'm finally through the worst of it.

 As I've been coming and going so frequently, I've tended to rely on tried and true recipes, especially those I can throw in the crock pot in the morning and have ready when I walk in the door at night. But last week I was tired of the same dinner rotation, so I thought I'd try this new recipe I ran across in an older issue of Better Homes & Gardens: Pork & Hot Pepper Hash.

Now do not be put off by the "Hot Pepper" part. I didn't find this recipe to be very spicy at all, and you could certainly cut down on the peppers if you were concerned about that! I made a few changes to the recipe (some intentional, some by accident!) which I've noted below.

  Pork & Hot Pepper Hash

 Ingredients

1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 pounds ground pork
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved or quartered
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper and/or crushed red pepper (I used black)
1/4 cup chicken broth (optional - I used it)
4 eggs, cooked sunny side up in 1 Tbsp. butter (I used scrambled eggs)
Sliced red and/or green jalapeno peppers (optional -- Oops, I forgot them!)
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional -- Oops, forgot them, too!)
Bottled green hot pepper sauce (Spouse used some, I did not)Lime wedges (I omitted)

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine cilantro, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, and garlic. Add pork and lime juice. Gently mix to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes to blend flavors.

 

  2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook potatoes in boiling salted water, covered, for about 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain.

3. In a large skillet cook pork mixture until pork begins to brown. Stir in potatoes; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes more or until pork is cooked through and potatoes are tender, turning occasionally. For moister hash, stir in chicken broth, if desired. (I did end up using chicken broth.)

This smelled soooo good!

4. Serve eggs over hash. (The recipe calls for eggs cooked "over easy" but I scrambled the eggs instead, as anything "over easy" scares me!) Top with sliced peppers (forgot to buy red peppers, so I skipped this part!) and additional cilantro, if desired. Pass bottled green hot pepper sauce and lime wedges.

 Spouse suggested that you could add cheese to it, if you wanted the components to stay "glued" together. But I think a "hash" is meant to be loose and unstructured, so I'll leave the recipe as is. This yummy recipe is a keeper and will now be part of my rotation!
 jp