#Delicious: Hearty Brussels sprouts hash – for breakfast, brunch or dinner
Apples, for a touch of sweetness. Mushrooms, for an earthy nuttiness. Roasted sweet potatoes for a pop of color.
Perhaps one of the best parts of this Brussels Sprouts Hash is it’s not only great for breakfast or brunch, but it can make for a filling dinner, too.
It’s fairly versatile. And it only requires one pan, preferably a cast-iron skillet.
Yukon gold or fingerling potatoes round out the dish. Depending on tastes, so could butternut squash, turnips, parsnips, even celery.
Alliums – a little minced garlic, caramelized onions or shallots – add flavor to base of Brussels sprouts, which can be a bit bitter. So does bacon or pancetta, which helps to balance the bitterness with saltiness.
On the day I made this dish – for brunch, for two, with leftovers – I subbed leaner leftover pork chops, cut into cubes. Chorizo would work, too.
Vegans or vegetarians could, instead, add baked or crispy tofu. Vegans would also want to leave out the eggs.
I didn’t have any sweet potatoes on hand, but I did have some day-old homemade rye bread to use up, so I made seasoned croutons and threw them into the mix, too. This gave the hash an even heartier, stuffing-like quality.
Brussels Sprouts Hash
4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, quartered
1 sweet potato, cubed
2 teaspoons dried thyme or rosemary, or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or rosemary
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 teaspoons lemon zest and, plus freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
3-4 large eggs
Chili pepper flakes, for garnish (optional)
Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp, then place it on a paper towel-lined plate. When cool, crumble bacon into smaller pieces and set aside.
Leave about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the pan and discard the rest. Sauté garlic and onion until soft, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes and cook until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Add thyme or rosemary, salt, pepper and lemon zest, and stir. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over mixture, to taste. Add bacon back and stir. Make three or four small wells in the hash and crack an egg into each. Bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Garnish with chili pepper flake and fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
Yield: 3-4 servings
Egg alternatives: Poach eggs and serve them atop the hash, or fry eggs and slide them onto the hash for serving.