Pork and Potato Hash
I bought the cookbook Milk Street Tuesday Nights as a gift to myself just around Christmas and while it has taken me a little while to start cooking from it, I couldn’t be more excited. This book is the latest from Christopher Kimball of America’s Test Kitchen fame and it’s filled with interesting, accessible ethnic recipes that are organized by the way we cook, for example, Fast, Faster, Fastest, Supper Salads, Roast and Simmer to name a few. The unifying element of all of the recipes is big flavor and that is where my heart lies. As a matter of fact, if there is any cookbook that I could see myself cooking my way through a la Julie and Julia, this might be the one.
The first recipe that I am sharing here could be filed under “Random” but was actually located in the chapter Faster. It is a hash called Minchi that is Macanese in origin. You’re ahead of me if you don’t have to look up “Macanese.” I did and it means of and from Macau, the East Asian Chinese territory that was until 1999 a colony of Portugal. When I read the recipe, I thought this mixture of potatoes and ground pork seemed like comfort food with a little twist. And as pictured in the cookbook, I decided to top each serving with a sunny side up egg, just as any good hash would be. This recipe could also be served for breakfast or lunch but for us, it’s dinner all the way. Enjoy!
Pork and Potato Hash
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 12 oz ground pork
- 3 Tbls finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 Tbls packed dark brown sugar
- 2 Tbls tomato paste
- 6 scallions thinly sliced, white and green parts reserved separately
- 3 Tbls grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
- 2 Tbls soy sauce
- 2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbls unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 c lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 eggs, cooked sunny side up, optional
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the potatoes, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 c water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until almost tender, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.*
- Drain potatoes and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the pork, ginger, sugar, tomato paste, scallion whites, and 3/4 tsp pepper.
- In a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium, heat 1 Tbls oil until shimmering. Add pork mixture and cook, breaking it into small pieces and stirring once or twice, until lightly browned, 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a clean bowl and wipe out the skillet.
- Set skillet over medium-high, add remaining oil and heat until shimmering. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring and adjusting heat as needed, until browned and crisped, about 15 minutes.
- Return pork to the skillet and add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.
- Toss, then stir in half of each the scallion greens and cilantro.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, then transfer to individual plates, sprinkle with the remaining scallion, cilantro and a sunny side up egg, if desired.
Notes
*Don't microwave the potatoes until full cooked; they should be only almost tender so that they don't fall apart in the skillet.