Roasted Vegetable Hash and Eggs

We have a new favorite dinner that I couldn’t wait to share with you!

It is kind of a merger of these previous posts: Roasted Veggies (HERE and HERE) and Poached Eggs.

Roasted Veggies + Poached (or Fried) Eggs = Vegetable Hash with Eggs

It is super versatile and so tasty! It’s easy and filling.  It’s meatless, but a great main dish, thanks to the egg.  (And if you want or “need” meat, you can crumble bacon on top as a salty, savory garnish.  It ramps it up a bit.)  When I announced the other night that we were having this for dinner, the troops cheered shouts of "hooray!".  I was taken aback that they liked this meal so much.  Dave asked me as I was writing this post, "Why do we like this so much?!" I don't know.  It's just darn good. You just have to see for yourself!

I have made it a few times for the family and have roasted a variety of vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, bell pepper, carrots, asparagus, zucchini.  So you can use what you have on hand and what you and your people like! (I do think potatoes and onions are essential, though.) And then roasting is just a matter of chopping, tossing in oil, sprinkling with coarse salt and pepper and cooking in a hot oven for a while. 

 

The only challenge is timing the eggs.  The first time I made it, I wanted to top the hash with poached eggs (read HERE for my journey of learning how to poach an egg). I think the consistency of the poached egg yolk – not liquid-y but thick and creamy- is the right one for the hash.  It creates a creamy sauce.  The complication was trying to poach all 5 eggs for my family at the same time.  I decided that 3 in a pot were all I could handle.  I then proceeded to fry the other 3 on a skillet.  (I made 3 instead of 2 so I could have a back-up egg). The trick is getting them the right yolk consistency.  (I am aware that some people are grossed out by eggs that are runny.  You just have to work through that.  Or prepare a fully cooked egg, if you must). The second time we made this, we decided to make fried eggs, rather than poached, and make them on our large skillet, in hopes that we could simultaneously cook 5 or 6 eggs.   It worked.  I set the table, scooped the veggies into a bowl and had everything ready for when the eggs were done, then served up the eggs on our plates piled with veggies.

Dave is far better at frying eggs than me.  He is the egg-man in the morning.  In fact, he flips the egg in a pan and I’m quite envious of this technique.  I’ve been trying to learn.  After many attempts, leading to half cooked eggs splattered on the toaster oven, in the burners, and on the counter, I have declared that this must be an athletic ability.  Since I am more skilled in the kitchen and he is far more athletically inclined than me, I think it must be a sports-skill.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Take a look.

It reminds me of other skills he has that he thinks are “normal” but I deem as extraordinary. Take spitting out the car window while driving down the interstate, for instance.  Have you ever done this? Or throwing the end of a drink out of the window? If you have, you know that it requires skills. Dave is skilled.  When I have tried to spit out of the moving car, I end up getting spit flown back into my hair.  When I try to throw a drink out of my window it flies directly onto (or worse, into) the passenger window.  I just don’t have the skills. I think it's athletic ability.

I am reading a book with my book club, An Everlasting Meal  by Tamar Adler, which is a book about cooking with economy and grace.  It's really interesting.  One chapter is devoted to cooking eggs.  Which is right up my alley, as it seems to be the popular protein at our house these days!  When we can’t figure out what to have for dinner, Asher usually pipes in his suggestion: “What about eggs?”  

In her chapter on eggs, Tamar writes, "For my taste, meals still qualify as meals if they are eggless.  But an egg can turn anything into a meal and is never so pleased as when it is allowed to." I'm beginning to agree with her.

We like topping the hash and eggs with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. 

"crusty" bread

We also like serving this dish with "crusty" bread- it's great for sopping up the egg and scooping up the vegetables. 


 I served a little fruit on the side for the kids and a side of fancy greens and grape tomatoes tossed in a little oil and vinegar for the adults.


Here's a printable recipe, but basically: Roast some veggies.  Cook an egg- fry it, poach it, flip it – you choose. Place it on top of your veggies.  Add any garnishes you like and enjoy a fresh, easy, savory meal!

So, what's your egg technique? Do you have any egg flippin' skills? I'd love to hear!  Have you tried Roasted Vegetable Hash and Eggs at home or at a restaurant? Enjoy!