Hypoallergenic Hash

     

Roast beef hash

     Most American breakfast foods are made of eggs, dairy products and/or wheat; many also contain corn, soy and other allergens. Two excellent breakfast foods that don't, in principle, need to contain any of the usual allergens are corned beef hash and roast beef hash. The canned versions, of course, often contain corn, soy, or other allergens. If you make your own hash, not only can you easily leave out all the nitrites, flavorings made of unspecified ingredients, oils you are allergic to and other questionable ingredients, you can also cook the potatoes separately from the other, wetter ingredients. This allows you to get them really crispy, which adds a nice crunch to the hash.

     leftover roast beef (or un-corned beef)

     potatoes

     onion

     (optional) other veggies (See Produce in the Glossary)

     oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

These are about the right proportions of meat, potato and onion.
I had a couple of unwaxed (i.e. corn-free, soy-free, dairy-free) peppers
from a farmers' market, so I threw them in too.

     In canned hash, the ingredients have been chopped (or ground) really, really small; this is not something you need to replicate in home cooking.  Big chunks of meat and potatoes don't really constitute hash either, though. I recommend cutting the main ingredients into ~1/3 inch cubes.  

     Cut up the meat and put it aside. Peel and cube the potatoes and put them aside also. 

     Chop the onion and any other veggie you would like to add (pepper or celery, for example). Heat  a smidge of oil (2 Tb. or so for an average-sized onion)  in a skillet.  Add the onion and other veggies, if any, sprinkle with salt, and reduce heat to low medium.  Saute gently until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. 

     Meanwhile, bring a pot of water (enough to cover the potatoes easily) to a boil, and add the potatoes. Bring the water back to a boil, cook for one minute, and drain thoroughly. Put enough oil to easily cover the potatoes in a pot with high sides (so that the oil won't splatter out of the pot when you add the potatoes). Add a single chunk of potato to the pot and turn the heat to high. 

     At about this point, add the meat to the veggies and let them gently heat back up together, stirring occasionally.

     When the bit of potato in the pot sizzles and starts to brown, dredge it out and add the rest of the potato. When the potato turns crisp and golden brown, dredge it out with a slotted spoon and place it on a plate covered with paper towels. Sprinkle it with salt and stir it into the meat/onion mixture.  Adjust salt to taste. Serve immediately.