Asparagus-Potato Hash With Goat Cheese and Eggs Recipe

Asparagus-Potato Hash with Goat Cheese and Eggs Recipe

This colorful one-pan egg and potato hash breakfast can be easily adapted to use up whatever vegetables you have in the crisper: Use shallots or yellow onion instead of leeks, or substitute green beans, snap peas or even broccoli for the asparagus. Just make sure everything is diced into ½-inch pieces so the vegetables cook evenly and quickly. Serve as part of an elegant brunch spread, with toast for a hearty (and vegetarian!) weekend breakfast, or eat it straight from the skillet with a glass of white wine as a quick, clean-out-the-fridge dinner.

I will use small red skin potatoes. They needed at least 30 minutes cooking time to be tender. Lemon and dill will brighten the dish.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1¼ pounds Yukon Gold or red new potatoes, scrubbed and diced into ½-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• ½ large fennel bulb, diced into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup), fennel fronds reserved
• 1 leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼-inch thick (about 1 cup chopped leeks)
• ½ pound asparagus (10 to 12 spears), trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon zest and more juice for serving (optional)
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons crumbled plain goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, mint or parsley

Preparation:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the potatoes, spreading them out into an even layer, and season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, until potatoes are nicely browned, 7 to 9 minutes.
2. Lower the heat to medium of the pan, add the fennel and leek, and cook, tossing occasionally, until leeks are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. If the skillet looks dry at any point, add a splash of olive oil.
3. Add the asparagus, along with ½ teaspoon salt and a few more grinds of black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the asparagus, fennel and potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
5. Use a spoon to create 4 small hollows in the hash. Carefully crack an egg into each, season the eggs with salt and pepper and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the egg whites are just set. (Don’t overcook.). You can also turn the heat back on low, cover with a glass lid, and cook the eggs.  Therefore, you don’t need an oven turned on.
6. Sprinkle with goat cheese, herbs, fennel fronds and lemon zest, if using. Sprinkle with additional lemon juice, if desired, and a pinch of salt, and serve hot. (A spatula works best for serving.)

From the New York Times cooking section by Lidey Heuck.