Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs

December can be a handful.  With friends, family and work events to balance, loved ones to shop for, and workout regimens to maintain on top of everything we normally do... something has to give.  In my case, I spent less time in front of my computer.  In itself, not a bad thing.  But then, it has been a few weeks since I have posted any new recipes.

January can be a handful, as well.  The first of the year is chosen by many as a starting point for an attempt at a new way of life.  Many try to wedge new habits into their schedule in the name of better health.  Gym memberships spike.  Neighborhood sidewalks are crowded with joggers.  I'm sure there is an increase in sales of fitness apparel and candy "protein" bars.  I'll break down the popular protein/recovery/energy bar market in a later post.  But today, I'm offering a whole food alternative that will help replenish your depleted glycogen and give you some needed protein and fat after running or working out.


Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs

What you'll need:

Food processor with shedding blade or a box grater
Non-stick frying pan

Ingredients:

3 medium sweet potatoes
1 large onion
2 jalapenos
Coconut oil
Salt and pepper
Eggs
Bacon grease

Three sweet potatoes... How much of this stuff are we making?!?!?  Enough for the week.  After cleaning and drying (but not peeling) the sweet potatoes, run them through the shredding blade on your food processor.  If you don't have one, use your hands and shred them on a box grater. Cut your jalapenos in half, remove the seeds, and then cut it into thin strips to match the size and texture of the sweet potatoes.  Peel you onion and cut in the same manner as the jalapenos.  All three ingredients should have roughly the same size and texture... I think of them as matchsticks.  In a large bowl, mix up all three of these raw ingredients by hand.  Since I only cook up a couple of handfuls at a time, I mix this in a bowl with a lid that I can put in the refrigerator until next time.

On a stove top at medium heat, melt a teaspoon or so of coconut oil in a non-stick pan.  When the pan is hot, add in a couple of handfuls of the sweet potato mixture.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to ensure an even seasoning and coating of oil.  Spread the mixture as evenly and thinly as you can across the pan and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. 

I like my hash to have a crispiness to it... a good seared, brown surface with a soft, bright orange center.  Once the bottom side is browned, flip it over (however you are comfortable... maybe you do this in three or four stages if you can't do a single flip) and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

When the hash is browned and cooked through to your liking, slide it onto a plate.  At this point, I usually return the pan to the heat, add some bacon grease and cook up an egg or two.  Slide your cooked eggs on top of your hash, and dig in.  There are few foods more comforting to me than runny egg yolks mixing with hash.

What you have before you (if you use two eggs) has a macronutrient breakdown of approximately 13g of protein, 17g of fat and 25g of carbohydrates for a total of around 325 calories... none of it processed.  And, I'm pretty sure you'll find it to be a bit more satisfying than some chocolate covered protein bar with a flashy add campaign behind it. 

Ladies and gentlemen, sweet potato hash... with eggs.