This was a cast-about-wildly-for-breakfast-ideas sort of morning. I just got back from a big camping trip and haven't had a chance to do groceries yet, so I needed to work with what we had on hand. I spent a while perusing the internet for ideas and eventually landed on a sweet potato hash recipe that looked promising. I mean, I didn't have the bell peppers... or the carnitas... or the avocado, but I figured it'd give me a jumping off point at the very least. If this meal were a movie it would be "inspired by" rather than "based on" is what I'm saying.

Sweet Potato Hash with Ground Beef

Adapted from The Modern Proper

Ingredients

Hash

• 1/4 c. bacon grease (or other fat of your choice)
• 4 sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2-2/3 c. mixed dried veggies¹, reconstituted (to make ~2 c.)
• ~1/2 Tbsp. hot paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste

Beef

I didn't really measure anything for the beef. I just tossed spices in 'til it smelled about right. I've tried to guess at approximate measurements below, but it's not super precise.

• 450g ground beef
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• ~1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• ~1/2 tsp. hot paprika
• ~1 tsp. sweet paprika
• ~1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
• ~1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• ~1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• ~1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• ~1 tsp. dried chopped onion
• ~1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• ~1/2 c. chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
• ~1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Toppings

• eggs
• cilantro
• salsa and/or pico de gallo
• avocado and/or guacamole
• hot sauce (preferably Tabasco or similar)

Directions

Hash

1. Melt the bacon grease over medium-low heat.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.
3. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the onion, garlic, and reconstituted veggies and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
5. Sprinkle in paprika, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute or so.

Beef

1. Heat a pan over medium-low heat and add the beef, breaking up any large chunks as you go.
2. Add salt, garlic, pepper, hot and sweet paprika, chili powder, oregano, dhania-jeera masala, garlic powder, onion, and Worcestershire sauce and cook until beef is no longer pink.
3. Increase heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, stock, and cornstarch. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Stir in cilantro.

Assembly

1. Fry one or two eggs per person.
2. Scoop a portion of hash into a bowl.
3. Add a portion of beef on top of the hash.
4. Place one or two fried eggs on top of the beef.
5. If desired, top with salsa, guacamole, cilantro, and/or hot sauce.

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¹ I would normally use fresh (or leftover cooked) veggies for hash but, as noted, just returned from camping trip so I didn't have much in the way of fresh veggies on hand. I think the dried mix I used had a mix of onion, potato, carrot, celery, and red and green bell pepper in it. Whatever it was, it seemed to work well. ^Back