This is the latest article from Renaissance Magazine. It offers a great recipe for a side dish that is perfect for Thanksgiving that can be altered for the vegetarian family members. Don’t let the name fool you, the vegetarian version is just as tasty.
Autumn is in full swing and soon the weather will cool and summon winter to come forth. The fall and winter months herald several holidays that celebrate family, togetherness, and love. The holidays also bring forth family feasts that help solidify relationships with family and friends.
As a child, my family’s holiday dinners usually consisted of the standard roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, and stuffing. As an adult who likes to show off their culinary skills, I tend to cook less 20th century traditional recipes and cook more historical dishes; one of which is Sausage Hash.
This particular dish is a favorite among my family and friends and is extremely versatile and easy to make. It can be used as a breakfast dish, a side item for a holiday dinner, or as an entrée. During the holidays, I have been known to prepare this dish in mass quantities, package them up, and give them as gifts to my close friends, one of whom has been known to eat several pounds of this tasty treat in one setting.
This dish can also be altered for vegetarians or those who keep Kosher or Halal, as you will see from the recipe.
Ingredients:
Approximately 2 lbs of course ground country-style pork sausage or vegetarian sausage crumbles (Morning Star Farms has a great product – if using the vegetarian sausage, 3 TB of olive oil will be needed)
1 large onion or 3 leeks (a mild onion flavored vegetable), diced
2 lbs of carrots, thick julienned (size of twig or finger, but not matchstick sized)
1 lb of sweet potatoes, peeled and thick julienned
3 lbs of red potatoes, thick julienned
4 gloved of garlic, minced
2 sprigs of rosemary
Fistful of fresh chives, minced and divided
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Using a large pot, begin to sauté the sausage on medium heat to brown. While sautéing, break the sausage up into smaller pieces and add the onions and the garlic. The higher end sausage such as farm made, Amish made, or home made sausage is best, but standard course ground sausage may be used as well. Avoid using Italian or spicy sausage blends as it alters the flavor. Additional spices or hot sauces can be added after serving to suit individual tastes. Instead of the pork-based sausage, vegetarians or those trying to cut back the fat content, can sauté the vegetarian sausage in the olive oil to brown.
When the sausage with the onions and garlic has begun to brown, add the carrots and potatoes, stirring occasionally. If you notice the pan has a low fat content, add a cup of water to assist in the cooking process. When the potatoes and the carrots are nearly tender, remove the rosemary from the stems and add half of the chives. Continue stirring to blend the ingredients. Add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper to taste. It is important that table salt is not used in this dish and only sea or Kosher salt is used.
When the vegetables are fork tender, pull off the heat while continuing to stir. The left over chives should be used as a garnish sprinkled on top of the hash after serving.
This recipe can be duplicated as a vegetable hash by leaving out the meat or vegetarian sausage, and sautéing the same vegetables in the olive oil until fork tender. This makes a colorful side dish for any family dinner or special event.
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