Citrus Pork Hash

Forgive me Blogger for I have sinned. It's been over two years since my last post. Life gets in the way and before you know it, two years have gone by without a blog post. They have been a great two years, however, filled with joyous (and not so joyous) days with my girl, trips around the country and abroad, and a couple of freelance jobs that I absolutely love and that sometimes even pay for my cappuccino habit. Almost.

But after a long absence, inspiration struck yesterday when I went to a demonstration and book signing by Zoë François and Stephanie Meyer at Kitchen in the Market. Both ladies have recently released lovely new books. Zoë is on her fifth book with partner Jeff Hertzberg, Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Stephanie just released her first book, Twin Cities Chef's Table , a gorgeous book featuring local chefs and their recipes, along with photos from the author herself.

Every so often, I am reminded that I am more than a mom who occasionally writes for a small neighborhood newspaper (which, as I may have mentioned, I LOVE!) I also love to cook, I try to eat at local restaurants as much as our very picky seven year old will let us, and whole heartedly support this fantastic movement toward farm-to-table chef driven thing we have going on in the Twin Cities and beyond.

We were recently in Duluth, as a matter of fact, and had this amazing sandwich at Northern Waters Smokehaus and a luscious latte at Duluth Coffee Company. Both places had great service and a passion for their craft that shone through in a way only a small establishment can offer.

So, back to the inspiration. That would be Stephanie Meyer herself. A ridiculously talented Renaissance woman, she is a photographer, writer, recipe developer, cooking instructor, advocate of local eateries and can deck out a "Treehouse" with the best of them. After meeting Stephanie, I remembered that I used to be sort of hip. I used to write for great magazines and websites, I used to hang with all the cool kids. I got sidetracked by life's little and big joys, but last night I was inspired to take a small step, get back to writing about what I really care about, and most importantly, I was inspired to cook.

One of the recipes in Twin Cities Chef's Table is a citrus pork shoulder from Alex Robert's Brasa. It's one of my favorite go-to's at Brasa, so I made it as soon as I found it on Stephanie's blog, Fresh Tart. The pork shoulder I bought fed approximately 27 people, and since there are only three of us in our family, one of whom does not eat much more than mac & cheese and ketchup, there was plenty left over. On a cold evening with the threat of an early November snow looming, I decided on potato hash. Doesn't that just always sound good? Say it with me...potato hash. It sounds warm and crispy and flavorful. No? Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, it turned out great. Without further adieu, Citrus Pork Hash.

Citrus Pork Hash

- Left over Brasa's Pork Shoulder Roasted with Citrus Mojo
- 4-6 small Yukon potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 celery rib, cut into thin slices
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced (you can add more if you love garlic. I do not.)
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley or cilantro for a bit of freshness

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a little kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes after coming to a boil. Drain potatoes.

In a cast iron skillet, sauté onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. When onions are opaque, add red peppers and celery. Cook another 3-5 minutes, then add potatoes. With a spatula, gently push the vegetables down to create a flat surface. This helps sear them on the bottom, creating a crispy texture. Cook until the potatoes have the texture you want. You can simply warm them up, or go for a deeper sear and cook them longer.

Add left over pork. If you want crisper meat and vegetables, add as little of the juices (mojo) from the pork as possible. For a softer texture, add more.

Cook until the pork is heated through. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas or tortilla chips.

Looking back at previous (ok, old) posts, I realized I talk about Zoë a lot, and have even mentioned Stephanie once or twice. At least I'm consistent in my stalking choices.

Citrus pork hash.

Yes, this is all she eats. And it took a lot of work to finish the plate.