the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Sweet Potato and Chorizo Hash with Spicy Aioli

Last weekend our kids in Montana (Livingston and Missoula, though the Missoula-based daughter was working a gig in Australia at the time) saw the first genuine snow-storm of the season roll down from Canada.

Our son and his wife in Livingston, at least during the cooler months of fall and spring and during the heart of winter, often make a “throw everything in” hash for brunch on their carb-refeed weekend day.

It’s still much more like summer than fall here in North Texas, but I’ve broken out some of our favorite hash recipes lately too, including this new favorite Sweet Potato and Chorizo Hash with Aioli.

Our friend Chef Libby sent a Bon Appetite link for a recipe very similar to this one recently, along with a list of the modifications she’s made to align the recipe more to the Texas-biased catering clientele she serves down in Austin. Libby has an amazing palate, and is immersed in the eclectic, Tex-Mex fusion food world that’s been simmering in Austin for some time now.

Using the drained chorizo (or sausage) drippings to flavor up a quick aioli is sheer genius; she favors the immersion blender method for making up a quick aioli (as do we); she most often blends in some chopped cilantro (perhaps some lime juice as well) when making a big batch, and said this dish, topped with a poached egg or two, with an interesting yet simple salad on the side is one of the most popular requests in her entire fall menu lineup.

2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch slices
Kosher salt

1/4 C + 1/2 C avocado oil (olive oil works well here, see note above)
1 pound fresh ground chorizo (or spicy Italian sausage)
1 medium onion (your choice, I like red here)
1 pepper of your choice (poblano, red bell, several jalapeños, etc), diced
1-3 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp cumin

For the aioli
1 large egg yolk
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (ACV in a pinch)
Reserved chorizo oil mixture
Salt to taste
Optional: 1-3 tbsp chopped cilantro

To serve
3-4 green onions, sliced on a steep diagonal
More ancho chile powder to sprinkle
Your favorite table salsa or hot sauce
Consider topping with a poached egg or two as well

Prep and slice the sweet potatoes, then parboil for 10-12 minutes until relatively easily pierced with a fork, drain, set aside to cool. When cool, cut the slices in half or quarters pending size.

While the sweet potatoes are cooling, heat 1/4 cup of avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat; now sauté the onion and pepper of choice for 3-4 minutes until they being to soften. Add the chorizo (or sausage), the ancho chile powder, and the cumin, then cook until browned and cooked through.

Now, for an unusual step – remove the skillet contents to a metal fine-mesh sieve set over a measuring cup; drain the chorizo thoroughly. You’re looking to harvest roughly a 1/4 cup of chorizo oil; when that much has collected, add another 1/2 cup to make 3/4 cup total.

Now it’s time to make the chorizo (or sausage) aioli. I’ll always use this technique to make aioli (or mayo); you can also do this by hand drizzling in the oil slowly. Otherwise, throw all the aioli ingredients into a tall, narrow container (yep, including the oil), and use your trusty immersion blender to stir up a smooth, beautiful chorizo aioli in seconds.

Now reheat the original skillet you used previously (add a tsp or two more oil if needed) and toss the chopped sweet potato pieces in, cooking with an occasional shake and turn until they’re beginning to crisp and brown.

Remove from the heat, quickly stir in the chorizo mixture and roughly half the aioli; mix well. Plate, top with the chopped green onions and what ever else you wish, drizzle with the remaining aioli and go to it.

Enjoy.