Snow Day Part 2

Sometimes, Wednesday morning can feel like Sunday morning.  I’m sure you’re scratching your head, wondering: how is this impossible feat accomplished?  I will tell you.  It’s due to a rare and wonderful circumstance: the second of two snow days consecutive snow days due to sub zero wind chills!  Doesn’t it sound wonderful?  Let me tell you, it is.  I had a weekend in the middle of my week, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

When I woke up on this “Sunday” morning, I felt that I needed to prepare some sort of luxurious breakfast, as opposed to my usual English muffin and hard-boiled egg in a hurry.  The day before, I had purchased some mushrooms.  I was shopping for my roasted chicken dinner (see previous post), but I added the mushrooms to my cart so I could make a mushroom omelet the following morning, based on the unlikely chance that school would be cancelled again.  I was concerned that my presumptuousness about a second snow day would certainly jinx this possibility, but I was wrong.  And in this type of circumstance, I love being wrong.

When I woke up that morning, I decided against an omelet for my leisurely breakfast, and started toying with the idea of a breakfast sandwich.  Vegetarians frequently praise mushrooms as a meat substitute because of their hearty texture and flavor.  I would say there is a distinct possibility that the first veggie burger was actually a grilled portobello mushroom cap on buns.  In light of this, I thought it might work out well to add sautéed mushrooms to a breakfast sandwich with some cheese and an egg.  This is exactly what I did, and I was pleased by the results:  meaty, savory, and satisfying.

First, I sliced up about 5 button mushrooms, and added them to a hot pan with some olive oil.  I know the pictured pan looks a little big for that amount of mushrooms, but they brown much better if they have a little breathing room.  Plus, the bigger pan will allow you to cook your egg in the same pan, and cut back on dirty dishes.  Also, refrain from salting mushrooms until they have browned.  Salt draws out water, so if mushrooms are salted in the beginning, it will bring out extra water, and it will take the mushrooms longer to brown.  (Conversely, it always good to salt onions immediately when you just want to cook them, but not brown them, for the same reason.  When you’re making a soup or sauce, you just want them softened, and salting them immediately will bring out their liquid and prevent them from browning).  When the mushrooms were done, I added a little fresh dill along with the salt and pepper.  The dill is completely optional; I just happened to have it in the fridge, but it could be left out of substituted with another herb. 

Then, I pushed the mushrooms to one side of the pan, added a touch more olive oil and one egg to the pan.  I made my egg over medium (maybe even over medium-well).  For breakfast sandwiches, I don’t like the yoke to be too runny because I want to be able to pick it up and not mess about with a fork and knife.  However, of course cook your egg in whatever way you see fit. 

While the egg was cooking, I toasted one big piece of sour dough, and put a slice of cheese on it while it was still hot.  I used Swiss cheese, but any cheese would do.  I then topped the cheese with the shrooms, then the egg, and last one more slice of cheese, and sprinkled the whole concoction with a little more dill and pepper.  Maybe it sounds like sort of an odd combination, but I thought it was one great big yum, and would encourage anyone with time and mushrooms on their hands to pursue this as a delicious breakfast option.

Breakfast for Dinner: Vegetable and Potato Hash

There is something immensely comforting about having breakfast for dinner.  I am unable to accurately verbalize why this is, and frankly, I want to keep it that way.  In fact, I refrain from having breakfast for dinner too regularly in order to preserve this enigma.  Last week, I had my first big exam of grad school, and the night before seemed like an appropriate occasion to indulge in my secret weapon of comfort foods. 

Simply eating your usual breakfast food does not qualify as “breakfast for dinner.”  To go by this title, it must be something special, like vegetable and potato hash.  I like to sauté whatever I am in the mood for (or whatever I have on hand) until it is crisp and browned on the edges.  I proceed to melt cheese over it, and top it with an over-medium egg, so the golden glory of the yolk makes it rich and luscious.  Below is a description of my most current rendition, however it represents a method, more than an exact recipe.

Vegetable and Potato Hash

§  Sauté about half of an onion and half of a bell pepper, both chopped, in olive oil for about 5-8 minutes, or until they start to soften.

§  Then add one chopped zucchini.  Season with Lawry’s seasoning salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and sauté for a couple of minutes.

§  Add 3 small red bliss potatoes that have been cooked (I microwaved mine) and chopped.  Re-season and sauté until potatoes are heated through and the hash starts to become brown and crispy (5-10 minutes).  When the hash is close to done, toss with chopped parsley and scallions. 

§  Top with shredded cheese (I used Monterey jack) and allow to melt.  Meanwhile cook an egg (any style will do, but I personally feel that a runny yolk is mandatory), and when the cheese is melted, top with the egg and enjoy.  Hot sauce and additional seasoning are optional. 

I have made this has a number of ways in the past, but this was the first time I added zucchini.  It was an attempt to increase the vegetable content in order to justify to the blanket of cheese covering the hash.  I love zucchini, but I was anxious about using it in the context.  Fortunately, my fears did not become realized, and zucchini will definitely play a part in future hash episodes. The scallions were also a new addition as well.  I happened to have some in the fridge, and they added a mild oniony flare.  In fact, next time I would be more generous with them (I only added two).  If I am making any sort of hash brown potato, Lawry’s seasoning salt is mandatory.  It reminds me of my oldest brother, Joe, making hash browns from left over baked potatoes on Saturday mornings. 

My brother, king of potatoes, also plays into the reason I used pre-cooked potatoes.  Growing up, precooked potatoes (usually leftover bakers) were the only potatoes used for hash browns by Joe.  Additionally, this will usually give the best results when the potatoes share the stage with other vegetables since raw potatoes have significantly longer cooking times than most vegetables.  Also, I abhor undercooked potatoes, so precooking them eliminates the risk of this tragedy.  As usual, the parsley is by no means a necessity, but in case you haven’t noticed, I cannot get enough of it.  Before eating, I added a drizzle of Sriracha* and some fresh pepper, not only for added taste, but to dress it up a little; a splash of red makes anything more appealing.   

*See glossary for definitions.