Nut Hash
1 cup chopped nuts 2 cups chopped cold boiled or baked potato 1/2 onion, chopped 1 tablespoon browned flour 1/2 cup cream or strained tomato 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon sage, if desired Mix ingredients, put into oiled pan, and heat in oven. One-half cup chopped ripe olives added to this makes Nut and Ripe Olive Hash.
A meatless hash from the era when chopped nuts stood in for corned beef. It is really a bound loaf-style mixture baked in a shallow pan rather than a skillet hash, so expect a soft, savory casserole with browned edges.
- Browned flourFlour toasted dry in a skillet or a low oven until nut-brown, then measured. It thickens less than raw flour but supplies the roasted flavor that carries this dish; do not substitute plain flour without expecting a blander, pastier result.
- Oven heatNo temperature is given; the recipe says only to heat it in the oven. Around 350F for 25 to 30 minutes will heat it through and brown the top. The potatoes and nuts need no cooking, though the onion goes in raw and wants that much time to soften.
- "Oiled pan"A shallow pan or pie plate brushed with oil, as the recipe specifies, rather than butter. Spread the hash no more than an inch deep so the surface crisps.
- Cream or strained tomatoHalf a cup of either, both serving mainly to moisten and bind, though cream also adds richness the tomato does not. Strained tomato means tomatoes cooked and pressed through a sieve, roughly what a smooth passata gives today.
- The nutsUnspecified; walnuts, pecans or peanuts all suit. Chop them to about the size of the potato dice; a food processor will reduce them to paste and the hash loses its texture.
- SaltA teaspoon and a half for four cups of mixture is on the assertive side by modern taste, especially with salted olives added. Start with a teaspoon and correct before baking.
- SageA teaspoon of dried sage is a lot for this quantity and will dominate. Half that is closer to current expectations.
- YieldAbout four servings as a main dish, more as a side.