Trout Hash with Leeks & Dill

Hash was invented for leftovers.

It had to be, right?

It's so good though, sometimes I go out and buy the ingredients just to make it.

Hash made with corned beef, roast beef, carne asada, etc. are favorites at our house.

Today's hash is made with the leftover trout.

It's especially good with a little bit of dill sprinkled on top.

And a crispy fried egg!

I searched through my refrigerator to use up some of the things I had hanging around to put in the hash.

That's what hash is all about, isn't it?

Here's my ingredients, but use whatever you have on hand, that's what makes it good.

Ingredients:

Potatoes, about 4 cups sliced

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 red and green pepper, diced

1 leek, thoroughly washed and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 lb. breakfast sausage

1 large clove garlic, minced

leftover cooked trout

1/2 cup chopped dill

Wash the potatoes and cut away any skin blemishes and bad spots, then slice or dice them to your preference.

As I slice them, I put them into a bowl of cold water.

After the potatoes are all sliced, I drain the water, rinse them and steam them in the microwave to give them a little head start in cooking.

I cooked these on high power for 6 minutes.

After six minutes, give them a stir--the ones on the top will be cooked more than the ones on the bottom--then I cooked them for 2 minutes more.

The potatoes don't have to be cooked through, I'm just giving them a start so they don't take as long.

Remove the bones from the fish by flaking the meat, starting in the middle and pulling away to the right and then to the left.

Most of the bones will be left attached if you do it carefully, but remove any bones that come off with the meat.

Break into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Chop all vegetables and garlic.

The first thing I cooked was the sausage.

I removed the casings and chopped them up, then browned them until they were cooked through--you can certainly leave the casings on if you like--then I removed them from the pan to drain on a paper towel.

Drain off any fat from the sausage, add a little bit of oil and saute the vegetables.

Saute until the vegetables are wilted.

After I started the vegetables, I started frying the potatoes in a little bit of oil, letting them crisp and stirring them occasionally.

When the vegetables are wilted, add the halved cherry tomatoes, sausage and trout, and mix gently.

Add the potatoes when they are done cooking, and fold to combine.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle chopped dill on top--it adds a nice fresh flavor.

Top with a crispy fried egg.

And maybe a little sriracha hot sauce.

Itadakimasu!

***

Over the weekend I participated in a craft show in Mountain View, where my brother and his family live.

This is Gordon and his wife Amy.

They're always so kind as to pose in clothing that I embellish for the boutiques.

The boutiques are one-day craft fairs sponsored by various organizations or individuals where vendors offer Japanese, Asian or general craft items for sale.

I use photos in my display, and someone always recognizes Gordon or Amy.

The craft fair season has begun and carries through until Christmas, so if I am posting less frequently, that is the reason.

I will be in my sewing room, busy getting ready for the next show.

Amy works as a surgical nurse at Stanford Hospital.

I love hearing about the kinds of things she sees in the operating room, I think they're so interesting.

Amy works hard, gets a lot of things done--and fast.

She's soft spoken and very, very nice.

Amy often wears the clothing I've embellished with different Japanese fabrics I've collected.

I always enjoy it when I see people wearing something I've made.

My brother's family--they're a family of Cal Bears.

If you've been following along here, you might remember Leslie and Kelly.

It doesn't seem that long ago that Karen was the flower girl in their wedding.

These are my three brothers, Warren, Gordon and Ken.

I love my brother's lighter side--his fun side.

I like his sense of humor.

It makes me smile when he laughs at his own jokes.

He's got a unique sense of humor--shown here by the costume he wore one year running in the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco.

He got a lot of comments from runners that year.

Gordon's a cyclist--he once rode his bike across the country from West Coast to East Coast!

Thank you, Gordon and Amy for the nice visit this weekend and the delicious Chinese food.

Thank you, too, Amy for all your help during the craft show on Saturday!

***

Ingredients:

Potatoes, about 4 cups sliced

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 red and green pepper, diced

1 leek, thoroughly washed and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 lb. breakfast sausage

1 large clove garlic, minced

leftover cooked trout

1/2 cup chopped dill

optional: fried egg

Wash the potatoes and cut away any skin blemishes and bad spots, then slice or dice them to your preference. As you're slicing them, put them into a bowl of cold water. After the potatoes are all sliced, drain the water, rinse them and microwave them to give them a little head start in cooking. Microwave times will vary, but I cooked these on high for 6 minutes, stirred, then cooked them for 2 more minutes. Set aside.

Remove the bones from the fish by flaking the meat, starting in the middle and pulling away to the right and then to the left. Most of the bones will be left on the skeleton if you do it carefully, but remove any bones that come off with the meat. Break into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Chop the breakfast sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown until cook through, remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Remove any fat from pan.

Add a tablespoon or two of cooking oil to the pan and saute the vegetables and garlic until wilted. Then add the halved cherry tomatoes, sausage and trout. Mix gently.

In another pan, start frying the potatoes in another 2-3 tablespoons of oil, letting them crisp and stirring them occasionally, until done.

Add the potatoes to the vegetable/meat mixture and fold to combine.

Sprinkle a little chopped dill over the mixture, top with a fried egg if desired.