This is a delicious seaside take on breakfast hash, featuring fish, sweet potatoes, spinach, and of course beautiful poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce.
5large local eggs(You only need 2 per person, but you may break one while poaching)
Pinchsalt
2teaspoons(10 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the Fries:
Olive oil
2sweet potatoespeeled and cut like fries
For the Hash:
1cup(132 grams) red onionsliced
Olive oil
7ounces(198 grams) fillet of haddock
2teaspoons(6 grams) garlicminced
3cups(90 grams) spinachstemmed if needed, oiled
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
Let’s do the hollandaise first. This a total cheater method. Easy, quick and highly idiot-resistant. In the trusty stand mixer with the whip attached or the food processor with the “S” blade (the regular one), place the 2 yolks, Tabasco and a couple of pinches of salt. Beat until the yolks are pale, like a watercolor yellow.
Meanwhile, place the butter in a microwave-safe measuring cup that you can pour from. Zap it in the microwave to melt and get the butterfat and the whey HOT. As soon as the micro has scrambled the molecules, turn your mixing appliance of choice back on high speed. S L O W L Y pour the butter into the spinning yolks. This should emulsify to a shiny sauce of buttery richness. At the last second, add the lemon and salt. DONE. This is best held in a thermos. Really. I use one of the bigmouth ones that can hold a meal, and it does a great job.
Start the eggs: We are poaching here, so pay attention. Use a shallow nonreactive pan, perhaps 3 inches/8 cm deep, with a 10-inch/25 cm or larger diameter. Fill with water, leaving some headroom so that it will not overflow when the eggs are added. Add a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. The acid will bind the egg whites so they will stay together. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and leave it for now, without adding the eggs.
Cook the fries: Place 1⁄2 inch/1.5 cm of oil in a 12-inch/30 cm skillet over medium heat. Heat until a drop of water will sizzle. Add the sweet potatoes and sauté until tender and starting to brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. (You can save time in the morning by making the fries a day ahead and reheating them spread out on a cookie sheet. This works well with any hand-cut, self-cooked fries, not your crinkle-cuts or McD’s.)
Preheat your oven to 325°F/163°C. Start the hash: Use a heavy roasting pan or oven-friendly 10-inch/25 cm skillet, and preheat it in the oven. Put the onion in the hot pan with 1 tablespoon/15 ml of olive oil. Let it brown and caramelize in the oven, stirring so that it cooks evenly. This will take about 10 minutes.
Add the fish and garlic. Roast for about 5 minutes more, then stir. It’s OK to break up the fillet (we are making hash, after all). Add the spinach and roast until the color intensifies, a couple of minutes more. When you see the color change, remove the pan from the heat and put it on a trivet. Toss in the sweet potato fries and gently stir. Season with salt and pepper. Park it while you cook the eggs.
Remove the lid from the pan of simmering water. Adjust the heat so there are just the tiniest bubbles rising. The water temperature ought to be around 205°F/96°C.
Crack an egg into a small bowl that can be submerged in hot water. You do not want to crack them directly into the water as this greatly increases the likelihood of the yolks breaking.
Slide the egg out of the cup into the simmering water. Easy does it! Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And, if you broke one: Repeat.
Let cook until the whites are just set, the yolk still liquid, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on your runniness preference.
Spoon the sweet potato mixture onto the warm platter. Remove the eggs from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon so the water stays in the pot. Place the eggs on the mixture. Pour the Happy Hollandaise over the whole pile. Grind some pepper.