Hash Dinner - a newby and a goody

This hash recipe is going to change your life. It changed mine - and Sharon's. The inspiration came from Weston, who is coming into town tomorrow. I know how much he likes hash browns - he makes them for me when I visit Michigan - so I thought he'd appreciate some leftovers after the long drive. They turned out very, very well. I think Sharon will be requesting this next time I make dinner for us.

I used a non-stick skillet for this because it cut down on cook time, and didn't make a huge mess that I had to scrape off. But if you have a cast-iron griddle, that'd be even better.

What you need:

5 Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into pretty small cubes (1/4 inch)

1 1/2 cups chopped ham - about as big as the potatoes

1 jar of Trader Joe's roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1 onion, chopped

What You Do:

In a skillet, fry the onion until it is translucent. Add the ham and red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and a lot of garlic powder (maybe 1 tsp+). Continue frying until the mixture is pretty dry (adding the red pepper can also add a lot of moisture) and the ham starts to brown. Set aside.

Add more olive oil to the pan and fry the potatoes. Continue to cook/fry until they are browned from the ham mixture you just fried in the same skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the potatoes are a little tender, add the ham mixture back to the skillet and continue frying for about 30 minutes, until the flavors meld and the potatoes are crispy-ish.

This recipe does take a while to make, but it's worth it for the flavor. Add fresh parsley to the finished product if you want, and experiment with other additions, too!