bacon hash with breakfast salad

I think, really if I look back, I was once a morning person. I have hazy morning light memories of getting up early to write and to walk and to gather myself for the day.
Although really, I might just be making that up.
Whatever came before, I just can’t seem to get there now. Dragged out of bed by the kids, or by the day or by whatever force decides to start hollering at me to wake up, I am just not a morning person. I wish for more hours in the day, for the quiet morning light to welcome my hours of writing, my hushed kitchen for cooking, but as the day would have it, I’m just sleeping.
That’s why Joey is the breakfast maker around here.
On the best mornings, he pulls me out of bed with the smell of coffee. That’s really the only thing that works. And then, there’s breakfast.

Sadie still can’t eat eggs, and Rosie has decided not to like them. So we’ve given up- and most mornings it’s granola or yogurt and jam that they have foraged for themselves in the wee hours of the morning. That frees us up for breakfast, and by the time the first cup of coffee is over, there is often something cooking on the stove.

I love to be cooked for. I love it! Especially in the morning, if I can sit and drink my coffee and watch someone else bustle at the stove, the day has started out well.
This one pulled me off the couch here and there to help out, and while Joey chopped up the bacon and potatoes, I poached the eggs and whipped up the salad dressing.

The hash was so good–herby and substantial and enough like the hash at Pasqual’s in Santa Fe that fed us through the first months of our relationship. The salad was based on the hope that I could recreate the little side salad from our magical French breakfast on the cape, and it seems that luck was with me.

As for the morning, someday I might be able to reclaim it. But as long as Joey is willing to get up first and make the coffee, I’m staying in bed for that extra 20 minutes.

Bacon Hash with Breakfast Salad
serves 2

For the Hash:
1 pound potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 ounces bacon, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs

For the salad:
1 large handful frisee, ripped into bite sized pieces
fresh dill, in large sprigs
fresh tarragon, in whole leaves
fresh parsley, roughly chopped
(the amount of fresh herbs is up to you, depending on how herby you would like it)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Make the salad. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the red wine vinegar. Combine the frisee and herbs in a mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Give a few additional grinds of the pepper mill over the top.
In a medium skillet, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Throw the onions in the skillet and cook in the bacon fat, adding additional oil if needed. Cook until translucent, then add the potatoes and paprika. Cook until the whole thing is browned but not burned, and the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, and add the reserved bacon, parsley, and salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, set a pot of water to simmer on the stove. Poach the eggs (for directions on that one, go here).
Serve the hash with the eggs on top, and the salad on the side.