“Serve this as a satisfying main dish for lunch, brunch or even a hearty breakfast.”
Ingredients
8ouncesfully cooked crabmeat
1lblarge Red Bliss potatoes, unpeeled
2ouncessliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1mediumonion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1smallred bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3sprigsfresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped
1/2 teaspoonpaprika
coarse salt orsea salt
freshly ground black pepper
white vinegar, for poaching
4 -6tablespoonsvegetable oil
4largeeggs
2scallions, sliced thin
Directions
Remove any cartilage and shell from the crab meat.
Cut the meat into chunks.
Cover and refrigerate.
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes.
Drain and let cool.
Cut the potatoes, with their skins, into ½-inch dice.
Place in a mixing bowl.
Cook the bacon in an 8- or 9-inch sauté pan over medium heat until browned and crisp.
Remove the pan from the heat and, using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the fat in the pan.
Add the bacon to the potatoes.
Return the sauté pan to the heat and add the onion and pepper.
Turn up the heat and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until browned.
Add the thyme and paprika, mix well and remove from the heat.
Add the onion and pepper (including the fat) to the potatoes.
Mix in the crab meat and season with salt and pepper.
Mix very well, mashing the potato a bit so that the mixture sticks together.
Divide the mixture into four 8-ounce portions and shape into 5-inch cakes.
Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Fill a deep pan with water for poaching the eggs.
Lightly salt the water and add 1 tablespoon white vinegar for each cup of water.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so that it barely simmers.
Heat the oil in a well-seasoned 12- to 14-inch skillet over medium high heat.
Cook the hash”cakes” (they should sizzle when you add them to the pan) for about 5 minutes until the sides are crisp and brown.
Using a spatula, turn the cakes over.
If they break when turning, don’t worry; just use the spatula to reshape them in the pan.
Meanwhile, break the eggs one at a time into a small bowl and slide each into the poaching liquid.
Do this quickly so that all the eggs cook in about the same amount of time.
It will take only 2 minutes for a loose poached egg: whites barely set and yolks runny.
Center each hash cake on a medium plate and, using a slotted spoon, gently place a poached egg on top.
Grind a bit of pepper over each egg and sprinkle the scallions over the entire dish.
Serve at once.
Reviews
“I selected this for breakfast and then realized that based on the instructions it would take me 1 1/2 hours to get breakfast ready!So this is what I did…First, I halved the recipe to serve 2. I then washed and diced the potatoes, placing them in a pan and covered them slightly with water.Brought them to a boil and cooked until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, allowing the water to cook away.Next, I placed the bacon on a microwave rack and microwaved it.When the bacon was done, I allowed it to cool and after adding the bell pepper (which I only had green on hand) and onion to the potatoes, I added the bacon and paprika.Instead of thyme, I opted to use an Italian seasoning blend.Mashed some of the potatoes as suggested, added the crab, stiring to combine and using a 1/2 cup measure, shaped the mix into 4 generous patties.These were then placed on a preheated well-seasoned skillet that had been lightly oiled with olive oil.While the hash was crisping, I poached the eggs in the microwave.The rest, as they say is history.Wonderful dish!”
