Hash with Chorizo and Fried Eggs

This is a fabulous comfort food.  I am a big fan of sweet potatoes and love that regular potatoes were switched for them.  If you are not a fan..just use regular baking potatoes.  If you are not a fan of Chorizo sausage, a nice Italian sausage would be just fine. From Food and Drink Winter 2012.

2 medium sweet potatoes, about 500g
1 tbsp olive oil
4 fresh chorizo sausages, casings removed, about 425 g
1 small red onion, thinly sliced, about 1 cup
1 small zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced, about 1 cup
2/3 cup thinly sliced roasted red pepper
1 cup rinsed and drained canned chickpeas
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp unsalted butter
4 to 6 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Prick sweet potato and bake for 40 minutes or until sweet potato is still firm to the touch but a knife can glide through when tested.  Let cool; peel and dice.
3. Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat.  Crumble in sausage and fry about 7 minutes or until sausage is getting crispy and no longer pink.
4. Add onion, zucchini, roasted red peppers, chickpeas and sweet potato; cook for 3 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper and stir in parsley.  Press mixture into pan with spatula and cook for a further 5 minutes, without stirring, until crisp and golden on the bottom.  Adjust heat if browning too quickly.
5. Serve out each portion of hash, wipe out pan, and then return pan to heat.  Add butter, and when it has stopped foaming, fry eggs sunny-side up until whites are set and crisp around the edges, about 3 minutes.  Season eggs with salt and pepper and serve on top of hash.

Serves 4 to 6

The Ole Burger

Who doesn't like burgers!!!  A meal that adults and kids will enjoy.  I barbecue as long as I can (I have been known to shovel out the BBQ in the winter).  Here is a recipe I got out of Food and Drink 2011 that has a nice twist on the usual burger.  I almost always make my own patties and this one spices it up with Chorizo Sausage - use Italian if you can't find uncured Chorizo.

4 thin slices serrano ham

SAFFRON MAYO (I didn't do this - just used regular Mayo)
1/4 tsp crumbled saffron threads
1 tbsp warm water
1/2 cup mayonnaise

BURGERS
3/4 lb (375 g) uncured (raw) chorizo sausage (use Italian if you don't have this available)
3/4 lb (375 g) ground pork (ground chicken works well too)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/4 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper
90 g Manchego cheese, thinly sliced (I couldn't find this so I used Havarti)
4 onion buns
washed and dried boston lettuce leaves
2/3 cup drained sliced roasted peppers

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Lay ham slices in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Place a second piece of parchment paper over ham and top with a second baking sheet.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until ham is crisp.  Let cool on a wire rack set over a plate.  (this is fussy, but totally worth doing)
3. In a medium bowl, sprinkle saffron over warm water.  Let stand 15 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise until well combined.
4. Slit sausage skins and crumble sausage meat into a large bowl.   Add ground pork, parsley, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper, and mix gently but thoroughly until well combined.  Form sausage mixture into 4 even size patties about 1/2 inch thick.  With the heel of your hand make an indentation in centre of each patty.  This helps burgers cook more evenly.
5. Preheat barbecue to medium.
6. Cook patties on well oiled grill for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until a meat thermometer inserted horizontally in centre of burgers registers 170F.  Just before burgers are ready, top each burger with one quarter of the cheese.  Split onion buns in half horizontally and toast, cut side down, until golden.
7. Spread bottom halves of buns with saffron mayo.  Top with Boston lettuce leaves.  Add a burger to each bun, along with roasted peppers and a slice of serrano ham.  Replace tops of buns.