leftover ham and potato hash.

Leftovers general allude me.  I'm a person who gets bored very, very, easily eating the same thing day in and day out (unless of course we are talking cheese and chocolate - cheese and chocolate can be consumed daily).  So when Tyler came back from Maine loaded down with leftover ham and turkey - I knew I wasn't going to be able to consume it unless I dressed it up a bit by disguising the fact I was eating the same 3 day old ham and turkey.  So I thought about the fact that I had root vegetables in the fridge waiting to be used.  Combining them with my leftover ham to make a hash would be the perfect new dish for a chilly April evening. 

Hash is one of those things that reminds me of the days after a holiday.  My mom has a similar mentality to me - that leftovers shouldn't just be a plate of the same thing every night.  I should be food made fancy.  And changing the way you eat something makes life more exciting.  So that's exactly what I did here.  I dressed the ham up in a little maple syrup and cayenne, mixed in some onions and potatoes, and topped my mixture with a poached egg (which if you ask me is a rather fancy looking egg).

Leftover Ham and Potato Hash
Serves 2

1 medium sized Idaho potato peeled, diced and cooked in boiling water until just tender
1 cup leftover ham, diced (any leftover meat can be used here!)
1/2 a small onion, diced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on your level of heat tolerance)
2 tablespoons or so milk, broth, potato water, cream (basically any liquid you have on hand)
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons Oil
2 Eggs Poached or Fried (whatever you like best)

In a large bowl combine the potato, ham, onion, maple syrup, and cayenne.  Add salt, and pepper to taste.  Add a little bit of your liquid to the mixture.  The goal isn't to make a soup in the bowl but just have the liquid be a bit of a binding ingredient.  Smash down the potatoes into the mixture to bring everything together. 

In a frying pan, add your oil.  Turn the heat up so the oil gets hot.  Once its hot enough, add you ham and potato mixture, flattening it with a spatula.  Turn the heat down to medium and let the mixture rest undisturbed for about 5 min.  After 5 min., flip your hash over and cook the other side for another 5 or so min (cook longer if you prefer your potatoes darker).  Watch the temperature you don't want your potatoes to burn!

Slide hash onto your plate, top with an egg and serve with a side of toast.