{recipe} Chicken (or Turkey) Hash

I’ve been seeing a lot of Thanksgiving recipes go around lately, but what about the leftovers? WILL NO ONE THINK OF THE LEFTOVERS?

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.