Sweet Potato & Chorizo Hash (the one Pesos used to have)

One of my favorite Seattle drinking establishments is Pesos.  If you’re my friend, we have probably had a margarita there (or 5).  Their food is also quite tasty, but sometimes they remove really yummy dishes off their menu, which leaves their hungry guests disappointed.  This was the case with their Sweet Potato Chorizo Breakfast Hash.  I have decided that I can make my own, and make it as delicious if not better; if you’ve been to a tailgate with me this is my signature dish that wins everyone’s approval. Every time.  



Things you will need:

• 3 sweet potatoes
• 2-3 white/gold potatoes
• 1 pound of Chorizo here is my favorite kind
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 onion

Spices (here is where things get tricky because I like to use random spices):

When I prepare food no matter if it is meat, poultry seafood, I like to “break” the rules and use whatever spice I deem tasty, for example for this hash I used Steak seasoning that I found in Rob’s cupboard, along with some chicken seasoning. When I cook at home, I like to use Tom Douglas' Salmon Rub with this hash. I usually try the seasoning first and If it’s tasty I will use it.  These two seasonings had nice sweetness and a little bit of spice to it, there was some brown sugar in them, paprika salt etc. You will need about 1 tsp

• Random spices as mentioned above
• Red chili flakes (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• Olive oil
• Sprig of rosemary
• Shredded cheese (I like the Mexican blend) about half cup

Prep:

Cut the sweet potatoes and regular potatoes into cubes of similar size, toss them in a bowl with olive oil, enough to cover them but no need to drench.  Add the spices (chicken spice, beef rub etc) toss with the sprigs of rosemary.  Turn the oven on to 385, and throw those bad boys in there.

Cut all of the vegetables, I like to make squares/strips that aren’t too big and similar in size to the potato cubes.  Chop the jalapeno into small little pieces so no one gets overwhelmed with a big jalapeno chunk.  Toss these into the bowl the potatoes were in add some olive oil, and similar spices as you added to the potatoes.  Here we have two ways of preparing the vegetables depending on your oven’s capacity and your time management skills: you can either sauté the veggies together, or you can also roast them in the oven.  It’s  up to you, this past Friday before the Apple Cup, as it was a hectic morning I sautéed them in a pan and they were delicious.

The potatoes usually need 20-25 minutes in the oven, after 10-15 minutes I like to toss them on their pan to make sure they get evenly cooked on all sides.  You will know when they’re ready when you stick a fork into one of the bigger cubes and it goes in there smoothly, you can try the potatoes to ensure they’re done.

While potatoes are roasting, veggies are sautéed, begin sautéing the chorizo, just dump into a frying pan and sauté away.  You want to cook the chorizo thoroughly and it’s a little tough to tell when it's done with its reddish color, but once fully cooked it gets a darker brown color. Once your chorizo is done, add the sautéed veggies, potatoes and a dash of red chili flakes (to taste), mix it evenly on low heat, and then add cheese to the mix. Because cheese makes everything better.  Your dish is ready to serve, I like to add a nice poached egg to it and get the yummy yellow goodness of the yolk all over my dish.

Here is a dandy video on how to make a poached egg, it’s supes easy. Disregard the 5 minutes where you just leave the egg sit in the pot. I lower the heat and do small stirs for about a minute or so,  once I raise the egg out of the water I tap it lightly to make sure it’s not too watery inside and then serve it.