Hash on a Bun . . . a delicious indulgence, or insanity?

I think the British love sandwiches more than anyone else in the world.  Walk into any shop, and I do mean any . . . and you are sure to find a variety of them, ready made, wrapped and for sale to anyone who feels in the need for some potable and portable sustenance of the this kind.   AND, they come in varities which are suitable for any meal of the day . . . breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack!

 

I recently treated myself to Nigel Slater's latest cookbook, eat.  You all know how I love Nigel and his way of cooking and eating.  That man could make anything look and sound tasty and he is the master as creating delicious and fast food out of just about anything you can get your hands on.   He has one whole chapter in this book devoted to sandwiches and the like.  My kind of guy.  My kind of cooking.



One in particular intrigued me and set my tastebuds to tingling.  This was a sandwich he created using crusty bread, beef drippings and leftover roast from the sunday dinner.  Reading about it . . . made me want one, and reading about it . . . inspired me to create my own version.  I got to thinking hash . . . roast beef hash . . . in a bun.



And so that is what I did.  I made some hash using chopped potatoes, chopped onions, chopped cabbage and some of the leftover roast from yesterday's pot roast.   I seasoned it lightly with some salt and cracked black pepper . . .



Added a touch of herb . . . in the way of summer savoury, and a hint of snap by using some Worcestershire Sauce and a dash of brown sauce.  (steak sauce to you North Americans)  I cooked that all together until the potatoes and onions and cabbage were gilded with little caramelized edges, all golden brown and sweet . . . and the meat was falling apart once more . . .

 

And then I stogged it between two halves of a crisp warm ciabatta roll . . . the bottom spread with just a touch of creamed horseradish sauce . . . a slice of Leerdammer Toastie cheese layed on top of the hot hash, so it melted down into all those gilded crevices, and topped by that crisp  roll-top . . . all that goodness tucked into a tasty and lightly crisped ciabatta suitcase and just waiting for me to tuck in . . .



Good things happen when Nigel inspires me.   Tasty things.   Things I want to indluge in again, and again . . . and again.   I am never disappointed.

*Roast Beef Hash Buns*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

A delicious way to stretch the leftovers from Sunday lunch even further.  

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped coarsely
a handful of chopped cabbage

two medium potatoes, peeled and chopped coarsely

1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced

2 TBS hot beef stock or water

an amount of leftover cooked roast, cubes (an equal to the amount of potatoes)

1 TBS vegetable oil

1 TBS butter

fine sea salt and black pepper

1 tsp of either dried thyme or summer savoury

1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce

Brown Sauce to taste  

To finish:

4 warmed ciabatta rolls

Horseradish sauce

4 slices of toastie cheese  

Heat the oil along with the butter in a large skillet.   Toss in the onions, cabbage and potatoes.   Cook stirring until they begin to turn golden brown.  Add about 2 TBS stock or hot water, a bit of seasoning, the Worcestershire sauce, brown sauce, summer savory,  and the garlic.  Turn the heat to very low, pop a lid on and cook for about 15 minutes, checking every so often to make sure they don't catch.  At the end of that time they should be knife tender.  Uncover and toss in the beef.  Cook and stir over medium heat, frequently turning it over until the meat is heated through and all is golden brown.   Taste and adjust seasoning as required.   While you are doing this, pop the ciabatta into a hot oven to heat through.


To serve, slice each ciabatta roll in half.  Spread the bottoms with some horseradish sauce (if desired) and then pile an equal amount of the hot hash on top.  Top each with a slice of toastie cheese and then the top of the rolls.  Serve immediately.  Pass the brown sauce or ketchup if desired.

Quick Pizza Rolls

 

These are busy days when there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get the things done that you really want to get done and this is only the beginning of the Holiday Season!  Just wait a week or two and everything is going to be really crazy!



Busy days like this are when it's nice to have something quick and easy up your sleeve that you can rustle up at the drop of a hat for lunch or supper.  Something quick like these Quick Pizza Rolls.  If you have a tin of croissant dough in the fridge, you have a meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner!



I don't know about your kids, but mine were always crazy about pizza or anything that even remotely  resembled a pizza, and things like this were high on their list of favourites.   Back home you could buy frozen pizza pockets and pizza rolls, and they liked them, but I think it's even better if you can rustle up something similar yourself.



Something which they will still like but isn't loaded with too much junk.  With a tiny bit of ingenuity you may even create something which is better than those frozen things.  I have used the tinned croissant rolls here and a mix of cooked bacon, onions, olives, mushrooms, garlic and sun dried tomatos, all chopped pretty fine.  The only cheese is a light spread of roasted pepper cream cheese along with a light dusting of parmesan on the outsides.



They were quick to make, delicious to eat and quite filling.  You can vary the fillings as desired, to reflect your own desires and tastes.  This is just a basic recipe that you can really feel free to run with.   They would also make a delicious light main dish when served up with a bowl of hot tomato soup!   Enjoy!

*Quick Pizza Rolls*
Makes six

Printable Recipe  

This is an easy recipe that is a real kid pleaser, using refrigerated croissant rolls. 

1 package of refrigerated croissant rolls

3 slices of streaky bacon, finely chopped

3 large closed cup mushrooms, chopped

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced

4 sun dried tomatoe halved chopped

1 dessertspoon of basil pesto

6 pitted green olives, chopped

6 black olives, chopped

flavoured cream cheese (I used roasted pepper)

Oil spray and finely grated parmesan cheese  

  

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. 

Place the bacon into a skillet along with the mushrooms and onions.  Cook, stirring until the bacon is cooked through and the onions and mushrooms have softend and begun to turn golden brown.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool somewhat.  Stir in the chopped tomatoes, olives and basil pesto.  Mix well.

Unroll your croissant dough.  Spread some cream cheese down the centre of each, leaving a border all around.  Spoon some of the bacon mixture down the centre of each, again leaving a border.  (Don't be too generous or you will have blow outs!)  Roll up from the large end, sealing the edges and twisting the ends.  Place onto a baking paper lined baking sheet.  Spritz each one with some cooking spray and dust with Parmesan cheese.   Bake in the heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.  Serve warm.

Note:  The cans of regrigerated croissants over here are more like real croissants and come six to a can.   You can use the refrigerated ones over in America, but they may not look the same.  Alternatively, you could split baked croissants and fill with the filling and then wrap in foil and heat through.  (In which case you may need to double the filling ingredients!)

Grilled Pancetta Mac & Cheese Sarnie (Sandwich)

We have a couple of Missionary Elders coming for tea tonight and one of them doesn't like Vegetables.  I know!  I cannot imagine not like vegetables!  Anyways, I made a nice Macaroni and Cheese for supper, which I will serve with some Gammon and carrots (the only vegetable he will eat) and a salad.(which he won't eat, but I have to have salad!)



I had too much macaroni and cheese for the baking dish and so I decided to lend my hand to doing something tasty with the bit that didn't fit.  I know . . . I can't help it, the wheels in my culinary head are always turning.



I can't claim to have invented this . . . but it's new to me.  If you've already done this, I haven't stolen your recipe.  We are just great minds that think alike!  (What a fab idea to think that the world is filled with great minds thinking alike!)  They say there is nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing things.   I expect that is true. 



I decided to create a Grilled Macaroni and Cheese Sandwich, and then I decided as I was gathering my goodies that it would taste even better with crisp pancetta between the layers. 



Each bite brings the taste of buttery toasted bread |(Garlicky if  you have used garlic mayo instead of butter), salty crisp pancetta and creamy peppery macaroni and cheese!  WOWSA!  This was FABULOUS!



I was too afraid to eat the whole thing.  My arteries were constricting just thinking about it so I tortured the Toddster with half of it.  He seemed to enjoy it as well.   Now I am pondering what else I can do to this to take it even further over the top. Any ideas???  (I think some rocket/arugula would be a nice addition.  Next time!!)

*Grilled Pancetta, Mac & Cheese Sarnies*

Makes one

Printable Recipe  

My instructions and amounts are for one sandwich, but can easily be upped to more.  I used my homemade macaroni and cheese for this, before it was baked in the oven.  I just removed about a cup of it and then put the rest into the casserole dish to bake a bit later on.  

2 slices good white bread

4 slices of pancetta, cooked until crisp

softened butter or garlic mayo

about 1 cup of prepared good macaroni and cheese
a small handful of grated cheddar cheese

Fresh ground black pepper

Butter the outsides of the bread with some softened butter or garlic mayonnaise.  Place the grated cheese on the un-buttered side of one slice of bread and spread the macaroni and cheese on the un-buttered side of the other slice.   Grind a goodly amount of black pepper on the macaroni and cheese.  Lay the slices of cooked pancetta on top of the cheese on the other slice.  Carefully press the two sides together, taking care that the plain buttered sides are on the outside.  Heat a small nonstick skillet.  Carefully add the sandwich and brown first on one side, then flip over and brown on the other side.   Wait a few minutes and then slice into halves or quarters and enjoy!  

Note:  If you really want to be hedonistic, you can brown them in the fat leftover from cooking the pancetta.  I'm not going to admit to this.  ;-) 

You can find a really good Mac & Cheese recipe here.