Breakfast hash in a dash

Breakfast hash ? diced meat, potatoes and onions, topped with a few eggs ? is classic diner food that can be enjoyed any time of day. But you don?t need to wait for yummy leftovers ? the St. Patrick?s Day corned beef or Sunday roast ? to make a good traditional hash. In fact, you can make hash from scratch in about 30 minutes. Use a 12-inch nonstick skillet. A nonstick surface is crucial, otherwise the raw potatoes will stick and cause other ingredients to stick, too. And you need a wide surface to keep a large amount of food moving and cooking evenly.Preheat the skillet. Use low heat while you assemble and chop ingredients. Then increase the heat to medium-high a few minutes before you add food to the pan. That way, the food begins to cook and crisp immediately.Cut the meat, potatoes and onions into uniform pieces so everything cooks evenly.Immediately after peeling and dicing the potatoes, toss with a small amount of oil to prevent the vegetable from turning brown. You eventually will cook the potato in the oil clinging to its surface.Never crowd a pan with too much food ? it steams into a gummy mess instead of sauteing to a nice, crisp brown. When you?re making hash, cook the meat and onions together first, then remove from the pan. Next add the potatoes to the hot pan and brown them. Return the meat mixture to the potatoes for the final blending.Season the hash and stir in a few binding ingredients at the very end. I found that a little ketchup and mustard thinned with a few tablespoons of water is the perfect binding agent ? much better than broth or cream, which can make the hash too liquidy.Follow these tips, and in half an hour, you?ve got a great breakfast, brunch or quick supper for four people. Pam Anderson is the food columnist for USA WEEKEND Magazine and author of three cookbooks. See more from her in USA WEEKEND.