Recipe: Smoked hash browns with bacon and apple

grate the potato

I love a good hash brown potato.  Whether its loose or biscuit-style, I'm always in.  I'm surprised it doesn't get used more beyond the breakfast menu - maybe this one will switch things up.  The bacon involvement is a bit of a no-brainer, but by adding the smoke and apple, the potato gets a bit of a lift worthy of and entree starch component.  Wherever you put them, it is important to take note of the fundamentals of prepping the potato, so you don't get a gluey pasty mess.  I grated these ones on a box grater because I wanted a fine texture, but you can certainly cut the potato any size you want and still follow the method.  If you use a Smoking Gun like I did, you will want to smoke the potatoes several times to get the flavour in, if you have a smoker, let 'er rip for about an hour.  Have some smoked butter on hand?  You know where it goes.

rinse, blanch and strain it

You will need:

2                  potatoes

1                  onion

4 slices        bacon

1                  apple

to taste         kosher salt

to taste         black pepper

as needed     vegetable oil or smoked butter

smoke the hash

Method:

- set some salted water on to boil

 - grate or cut the potatoes and rinse under cold water until the water is clear

 - dunk the potatoes into the water for 30 seconds

 - strain and rinse under cold water again until it is clear

 - squeeze any excess water out and place in a bowl or plastic container

fry the bacon, onion and apple

 - lightly coat with vegetable oil - it helps absorb the smoke

 - cold smoke for an hour or smoke several times with the Gun, sealing the container each time

 - cut the bacon into short lardons and render the fat out in a pan

 - dice the onion small and add to the bacon and saute

 - peel and dice the apple and add to the mix

 - take the mixture out of the pan and set aside (leaving as much bacon fat behind as possible)

 - add any needed oil or smoked butter to the pan

 - add the smoked potato and fry to golden brown

 - add the bacon, onion and apple mix back in and mix well

 - season with salt and pepper

 - serve

fry the potato

the finished hash with a vinegar-drop egg