Collard Green and Potato Hash with Poached Eggs

Collard greens are really good for you. They have both a cholesterol-lowering ability and cancer preventive properties. And they are growing beautifully in my garden this year.

It has gotten hot over the past couple of weeks, so I think their season may soon be drawing to a close until the fall. So for their farewell dish, I made Martha Rose Shulman’s Potato and Collard Green Hash and added poached eggs, because all hashes deserve to be served with a good egg.

Potato and Collard Green Hash with Poached Eggs

Based on Martha Rose Shulman’s Potato and Collard Green Hash

1 1/2 lbs collard greens, stemmed (from the garden)Kosher salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, halved and sliced very thin

2 to 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin

¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

¾ pound yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon gold

4 – 6 eggs (from Farmer Kim)

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the collard greens. Blanch for four minutes, and transfer to the ice water with a slotted spoon or skimmer.

Drain and squeeze out extra water. Chop coarsely. Set aside the cooking water.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a wide, lidded skillet or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about five minutes.

Stir in the collard greens. Mix together for a few minutes.

Add 1 cup of the cooking water and salt to taste, bring to a simmer, cover partially, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring often and adding more cooking water from time to time, so that the greens are always simmering in a small amount of liquid.

While the greens are cooking, scrub the potatoes and add to the pot with the cooking water. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the cooking water, and allow to cool slightly so that you can peel them if you wish. Cut them into large chunks.

Meanwhile, poach the eggs (click here for Alton Jones’ directions on poaching eggs) and place in a bowl of ice water to cool.

Uncover the greens, and add the potatoes. Using a fork or the back of a wooden spoon, crush the potatoes and stir into the greens. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, and stir over low heat until the greens and potatoes are well combined. The potatoes should not be like mashed potatoes, just crushed and intermingled with the greens, like hash.