Bubble and Hash

As I may have mentioned, when Annie works nights and Martin is home alone, he tends to browse on toast, finish left-overs and eat stuff she doesn’t like, like eels, celery or tofu. Last night he used some cold, cooked potatoes in a corned-beef hash.

In the United States this is a noble dish (apparently - I wouldn’t know, I’m a cat) made with a superior meat that’s more like pastrami than the stuff we get in tins in the UK. They sometimes start with raw potatoes and add beef broth, stewing it down until the potatoes are cooked. The way most Brits (including M) make it, though, is more like bubble and squeak, with left-over boiled spuds browned with sliced onions on a high heat with just a little fat in a non-stick frying pan. He breaks up the potatoes as they sizzle away, then adds cubes of tinned Fray Bentos half-way through cooking so they crumble in the heat a bit. He likes to flatten the mixture and fold it over in a small skillet, serving it half-moon shaped, like a French omelette. But then he’s like that.

The ratio of potatoes to corn beef is either 5/3, or, within reason, the left-over spuds you happen to have/the contents of whatever size tin of corned beef is in the cupboard. Good things to add are other left-over vegetables, like carrots and beetroot, fresh or dried herbs, chillies, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. And of course, a runny fried egg on top is a quick and delicious way to make it into a substantial meal. Minor TV celeb and chef John Quigley of Red Onion in Glasgow used to do a nice one like this, finishing the dish with artful flourishes of HP Sauce. Posh.

Meanwhile, I had steamed white fish and cat biscuits again.