I was home from work today and had a strong urge for some comfort food.  With the end of the leftover carnitas in the fridge I figured it was the perfect day to play around and try making a hash.

Last week, after making carnitas for the first time, Another Foodie Blogger gave me the wise tip to bake them for a bit before serving in order to add some texture and depth. So – getting them into the oven was a primary goal for this meal.  Wowie wow was this a spot on suggestion.  After baking, the carnitas had a nice crisp bite, but were also still juicy inside.  

This recipe gave me some further ideas, particularly in regards to adding some chili in adobo sauce which I also had leftover in the fridge.  Next time, as I note below, I’d like to find ways to incorporate more veggies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of leftover carnitas
• 1/2 potato
• 1/2 onion
• 2 garlic cloves diced
• 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce
• Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of reserved juice from the carnitas (optional)

Steps and Notes:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325
   • Ours seems to take forever to get to temperature these days.
2. Shave the potato on the large side of a box grater.  Dry with a paper towel, add salt, and dry again. Finally, season with some paprika and set aside.
3. Grate the onion on the same side of the box grater.
4. Add some olive oil to a cast iron skillet and saute the onions and garlic
5. Add the potatoes to the skillet on the stove and cook until they are beginning to crisp
   • This was about 8 minutes.
6. Add the carnitas and mix everything well on the stove with a wooden spoon
   • This is where I added the reserved juice
7. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes
8. Create two small wells in the mixture for the eggs but be sure not to expose the bottom of the pan
   • This was helpful later when transferring the hash to the plate
9. Bake for 15 more minutes
   • Or until the eggs reach your desired consistency. I like my eggs ‘over medium’
10. Serve with fresh avocado, some cheese, and some cholula hot sauce (this is comfort food after all!)

Thoughts for next time:

• Add some sauteed veggies like broccoli, peppers, or mushrooms
• When shaving the potatoes, use half white and half sweet potatoes
• Dice cauliflower into ‘rice’ size and add that to the skillet
• Incorporate a fresh jalapeno into the onions
• Warm some tortillas and serve with some sour cream