I, for one, can barely register the actual Thanksgiving meal as I’m cooking and eating it, because I’m so focused on how much better everything will taste the next day. I made this chicken hash this weekend with (wait for it) leftover chicken- but I think it would be just as fabulous with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

And if getting together with your relatives leans more Mommie Dearest than Leave it to Beaver, you could even prep all the vegetables for this dish while you’re making Thanksgiving dinner and put them in the fridge – so that even in a bleary-eyed morning-after state of tryptophan- and whiskey-induced torpor, you can throw this together with minimal effort.

This was inspired by the chicken hash at Bix. If you eat dinner there with someone who has eaten there before, at some point as you’re perusing the menu they will say something like “you should really try the chicken hash, it’s terrific” and you’ll be thinking, “Why would I eat that for dinner? Why am I even here? Is there more wine? Why is he drinking all the wine? I really think he is hogging the wine.” and so forth. But my point is, you will be skeptical about eating chicken hash for dinner. You will also be wrong. It’s fantastic. And the internet, amazingly, has still to this point managed not to produce a recipe for it. So this is an attempt at meeting its high standard of quality. Since it’s a “restaurant recipe” I made sure to add fattening dairy products in at the end. You know that’s their top secret trick, right?

Recipe: Chicken (or Turkey) Hash

If you make eggs to go with it, serves 6. If not, serves 4.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 Tblsp olive oil
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and grated
• 2 large or 3 small carrots, peeled and grated
• 2 stalks celery, strings removed and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken or turkey meat, no skin, chopped in small pieces or shredded with your hands
• 2 Tblsp chopped fresh parsley (flat leaf or curly is fine)
• 8 scallions, chopped finely
• 2 Tblsp dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup half and half

METHOD:

•  Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over high heat. Add potatoes, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring every few minutes, about 8-10 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through and beginning to brown.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, along with chili powder, paprika, and thyme. Add chicken, parsley and scallions. Cook another 3-5 minutes, until scallions are translucent and chicken or turkey is heated through.
• Using a fork or small whisk, combine mustard and half and half in a bowl. Pour into pan and turn heat to medium. Cook about 7-10 minutes, stirring, to reduce sauce and boil off the liquid, leaving a creamy hash.
• Top with fried or poached eggs if desired. Serve with hot sauce and lots of freshly cracked black pepper on the side.

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I had planned to serve the BLT eggs in the ramekins with a toasted English muffin, imagining people delicately scooping and sopping up bits from the bottom and sides of the dish. However, one of my guests unexpectedly wowed my by running his knife around the edge of the ramekin, placing the nook/cranny side of his English muffin on top of the ramekin, and flipping it out on top like a mini souffle! This small but ingenious gesture makes this already somewhat impressive breakfast dish cuter, more interactive, and yes, more delicious. Because things that come out in a molded shape upside down totally taste better than normal things. Trust me on this one!

The bacon/vegetable part of this recipe could be prepared ahead, placed in the ramekins, and left overnight in the fridge. In the morning you would just have to preheat the oven and add the eggs and cream to each ramekin before baking. Because they cook in the oven, it’s a terrific choice for a larger group. Don’t worry if you don’t own ramekins–any small oven-proof vessel, like a ceramic coffee cup or pyrex prep bowl, will do just fine.

BLT Baked Eggs
makes 6

Ingredients:

• 9-10 slices bacon
• 5-6 cups baby arugula leaves
• 3/4 cup tomatoes, chopped, or cherry tomatoes cut in half
• leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
• 6 eggs
• 3 Tblsp heavy cream, divided
• coarse sea salt or fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper
• toasted English muffins to serve

Method:

• Cook bacon in a large saute pan until crispy. Move to paper towels. Pour bacon grease into a bowl and reserve it.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat bacon pan over medium heat. Add arugula leaves, tomatoes, thyme, and a few grinds of pepper to the pan. Cook, flipping with tongs, until arugula is just wilted. Put vegetables into a strainer over a bowl to release some of the liquid.
• Brush 6 ramekins with bacon grease all over bottom and sides. Put the ramekins onto a sheet pan or 9×13 pan.
• Evenly distribute arugula mixture into the bottom of the ramekins. Crumble about 1 1/2 pieces of bacon into each ramekin on top of the arugula.
• Gently crack an egg into each ramekin, trying not to break the yolk. (Full disclosure: I broke 1 out of 6.) Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of cream over each egg. Sprinkle with a few grains of coarse salt.
• Bake the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 15-18 minutes.
• Serve each with an English muffin and show your guests how to suavely unmold them at the table.

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Here’s the how to: Chop potatoes and steak (or chicken, pork chop, meat loaf, whatev) into roughly equal size cubes (1/2 inch-ish). Chop a couple shallots or onions finely. If you’re like me, then for some odd reason your leftovers also fortuitously include a ziploc containing 5 cooked bacon slices and you should definitely chop those up as well. If you’re lucky enough to own a vegetable, like a bell pepper or broccoli or something, well then your fridge is better stocked than mine. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back, then give that the chop chop as well.

Heat some butter (or lard, duck fat, olive oil, whatev) in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the potatoes- those should get crispy so they need to cook the longest. If you have some hard vegetable like broccoli then throw that in with the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss or stir to brown the potatoes on multiple sides. When you’ve got some nice browning on at least a couple of sides, add the shallots (and your softer vegetable if you’re using one: I’m talking bell pepper or zucchini-type stuff) and cook another couple minutes until the shallots soften but not so long that they brown. Add the meat(s) and cook just until heated through, tossing or stirring, a couple minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust. If you really want to clog your family’s arteries, fry some eggs and put ‘em over the top. What the hell. You only live once.

I like to eat this with some Greek yogurt mixed in, but then again, I’m weird like that.

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The syrup they serve is magical- it’s like honey on a biscuit, but syrup on a waffle. Go figure! Also it’s the only place I think I have EVER been that actually has Bartles and Jaymes Wine Coolers on the menu. Yes! It’s absolutely an LA institution.

Note: There are other branches, but the Hollywood one is the “touristy” (white?) one. The food is the same at all of them, but the crazy, cramped, funky vibe is more present at Roscoe’s in Hollywood as well, since it’s the original. But if you happen to be in Watts, by all means, hit up another branch.

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If you’ve never had chilaquiles before, it’s a traditional Mexican breakfast dish that consists of fried tortilla chips coated in a green or red sauce, layered with scrambled eggs and chorizo, and baked with cheese on top. While it makes it something of a royal pain in the butt, the key to this recipe’s tastiness lies in frying up the tortilla chips yourself. If you have an avid and patient kitchen helper (even one who lacks culinary skillz), this chip-frying task would be a good time to call on them.

Chilaquiles are also commonly lauded as a hangover cure. To that end, Robert always makes this on the Sunday of our yearly Spring wine-tasting weekend. To protect his precious family recipes, I have made some key changes in this version! Robert: you can sleep easy knowing that while now everyone can enjoy some delicious chilaquiles, they will never be exactly the same as the ones you make.

Robert’s Chilaquiles
serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh corn tortillas
• 2 – 29 oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 Tblsp chili powder
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 3 chicken bouillion cubes
• 1 Tblsp flour, shaken in a jar with 2 Tblsp water
• 1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo
• 12 eggs, beaten well
• 1/2 pound grated cheese (Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, or shredded Mexican blend)
• 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable oil for frying

Method:

• Cut tortillas into chip-sized wedges. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large saute pan. Fry chips in batches until golden on both sides, removing to drain on paper towels.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and bouillion. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Lower heat and leave to simmer. Stir in flour/water mixture and salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasonings if you wish.
• Continue simmering over low heat for about 30 more minutes, stirring to make sure sauce doesn’t stick to pot.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Combine half of chips and half of sauce, tossing to coat well. Lay in 9×13 pan. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until chips have dried out a bit.
• While chips are baking, cook chorizo, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until scrambled.
• Spread egg and chorizo mixture over chips. Mix remaining chips with remaining sauce and spread on top of eggs.
• Sprinkle grated cheese on top, then crumble queso fresco over the top.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with refried beans, Spanish rice, avocadoes, and sour cream.

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I made it as a dessert, which was OK, but I think it would be an absolute knock-out for brunch. Next time I’m going to cover the entire top with berries. I used big smooshy blackberries and wished I had one in every bite!

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I love the combination of berries and oranges, so I incorporated both orange zest and juice into the batter, along with some vanilla yogurt for tang and sweetness. Using the yogurt, which I always have on hand, also prevented me from buying a quart of buttermilk and only using 1 cup, then letting the rest rot in my fridge… which is what has happened every single time I have ever bought buttermilk in my entire life, without fail. Seriously, it’s a real problem.

You should feel free to play with the spices or flavors in this recipe to mix it up. Other combinations that would be delicious would be…

• replace the orange with lemon, and replace blueberries with raspberries
• replace the orange with lime, and replace blueberries with blackberries, omit the cinnamon, and add toasted coconut
• keep the orange and replace blueberries with chocolate chunks, with or without the cinnamon and ginger (I’d keep ‘em in)
• keep all as is but add chopped toasted nuts and/or a handful of granola in the batter

Spiced Orange Blueberry Pancakes
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• zest of 2 oranges
• 2 cups vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 pint blueberries, rinsed and dried
• butter for pan, and to serve

Method:

• Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
• Add orange zest, yogurt, juice, egg, and butter and stir to combine. (Batter may be lumpy.)
• Heat skillet over medium heat and add a small dollop of butter (about a teaspoon.) When butter bubbles, pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. Sprinkle about 8-10 blueberries over each pancake.
• When pancake is golden on the bottom, flip and cook the other side until done.
• Repeat with remaining batter. To keep warm while cooking, you can put the cooked pancakes in a 175 degree oven while you’re finishing up.
• Serve warm with maple syrup and butter.

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