Sweet Potato and Leek Hash with Fried Eggs
Try this Sweet Potato and Leek Hash with Fried Eggs recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Sweet Potato and Leek Hash with Fried Eggs recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 63.1043 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 20.915135 g
- Fiber 9.06372521877289 g
- Protein 3.7048675 g
- Saturated Fat 17.73320375 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - 4 (249g)
- Sodium 307.29065 mg
- Sugar 54.0405747812271 g
- Trans Fat 1.335999 g
- Calories 444 calories
Step-by-step
- Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the sweet potatoes (or yams), along with a generous pinch of salt, cumin, and paprika.
- Cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing and flipping occasionally to ensure that all sides of the potatoes are browning and getting crisp.
- Add the leeks and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes, covered, tossing and flipping occasionally.
- The hash is done when the potatoes are cooked and crisp and leeks are soft.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pan over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil and crack the eggs directly into the pan.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook 1 - 2 minutes, until the whites are set and the outer edges are just starting to curl up.
- Divide the hash between four plates and top with a fried egg.
- Add black pepper to taste, along with additional salt if desired, and serve hot.
Covering the skillet with a tight-fitting lid during the initial five-minute potato cook traps moisture, generating steam that softens the dense root vegetable starch before the exterior achieves browning. Uniform dicing is mandatory here; pieces cut larger than half an inch will remain raw in the center while smaller fragments burn. Consistent tossing ensures the smoked paprika and cumin coat the surface evenly without scorching in the coconut oil.
Leeks require careful washing between their tightly wrapped layers before dicing to eliminate trapped grit that will otherwise ruin the texture of the finished dish. Adding the leeks and minced garlic halfway through the cooking cycle prevents the alliums from turning bitter under prolonged direct heat. Steam from the covered pan softens the leeks while allowing the sweet potatoes to develop a crisp exterior.
A heavy-bottomed skillet made of cast iron or well-seasoned carbon steel provides the optimal thermal mass for retaining heat and creating a distinct crust on the potatoes. Frying the eggs in a separate pan simultaneously keeps cooking times precise, as the egg whites require only one to two minutes at medium heat to set completely. Covering the egg pan traps ambient heat, cooking the top of the whites without requiring the pan to be dangerously hot.
Starch degradation ruins texture, so avoid overcrowding the pan; moisture released from piled-up vegetables causes steaming instead of frying. Plate the hot hash immediately upon completion to preserve the contrast between the tender leeks and the crisp potato edges before ambient humidity softens the surface.
