Wild Mushroom and Sausage Hash with Poached Eggs

The 3 lb Gourmet Collection is irresistible to Mushroom Lovers

I love a great hash with it mixture of textures. Here we have the crunch and savory appeal of rye croutons combined with either a variety of wild mushrooms or a single one: in these photos, I’ve used only shiitakes.  And if you live nowhere near Long Island Mushroom’s outlets, you can use baby bellas or cremenis along with the shiitakes.  Added to the mushrooms and croutons is crumbled Italian sausage. Then to top off the whole thing, two poached eggs top the dish and a scattering of chives bring color to the whole plate.   I’ve served this dish at supper with some sliced tomatoes.  But it would make a perfect brunch offering as well.   Here’s the recipe which I adapted from one that appeared in Food and Wine last February. 

Recipe for Mushroom and Sausage Hash with Poached Eggs adapted from Food and Wine.

1 hour. 4 servings       

  

4 slices of rye bread (4 ounces), diced into 1/4-inch pieces

½  cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

½  pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced

or ½ lb of a variety of ‘wild’ mushrooms—blue oysters, miatakes, shiitakes or creminis thinly sliced

¼  teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 small onion, very finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

½  teaspoon crushed red pepper

½  pound Italian sausage, (about one sausage per serving) casings removed and broken into pieces

Preheat the oven to 450°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the rye bread pieces with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 5 minutes, until the crumbs are light golden but not completely dry.

 

 

 

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the mushrooms, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.

Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of chopped thyme. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage pieces and cook over moderately high heat, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the rye bread crumbs, mushrooms and 1/2 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Keep the hash warm over very low heat, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring a very large, deep skillet of water to a simmer over moderate heat. Crack the eggs one at a time into a small bowl and carefully add to the simmering water. Poach the eggs over moderate heat until the whites are set but the yolks are still slightly runny, about 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the poached eggs out of the water; blot them dry with paper towels. Spoon the hash onto 4 plates and top with the eggs. Garnish the hash with fleur de sel and snipped chives and serve with hot sauce.