My Grandmother's Recipes | Texas Hash (Paleo)

October 22, 2013

Like most of the recipes in my Nanny's stash, I had to argue with her as I was searching for this particular one.

Why was I arguing?

Well once again it wasn't where it should go.


Technically this is a casserole, the way I made it, it isn't. However, it's a casserole none the less.

Where was it?

Oh just hanging out in Miscellaneous. The one envelope of recipes that I could easily categorize. To a true Southern woman though, her categories were simple.

Casserole
Breakfast
Meat
Dessert
Bread
Soups & Salads
and...

Miscellaneous

So Texas Hash, baked in a casserole dish... miscellaneous.


I'll toss this into the knife skills discussion we had two weeks before she died. I managed to drag my mother to the dark side, but that old Southern woman was going to but her onions with a steak knife to the end.

Growing up poor on a farm, the oldest daughter of a share-cropper will do that to you.

Speaking of the actual recipe, I changed a few things.

A) I cut down on cooking time.

B) I changed the starch.

C) I cut my onion with a chef's knife and not a steak knife.


Texas Hash
serves 4
Ingredients::
1 lb ground beef (extra lean)
2 med onions, rough chopped
2 tsp chili powder
1 large sweet potato (or sub in 1 cup of cooked brown rice)
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 green bell pepper, rough chopped
1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp garlic powder, plus more for sweet potatoes

Directions::
In a large skillet, brown meat, onion, and green pepper. In a separate skillet heat 3 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat. Chop sweet potato into even size pieces, a large dice, and toss in the hot skillet. Season potatoes with salt and garlic powder. Cook at med-high heat until the potatoes are browning and crisp. Lower heat to a low simmer and cover with a lid, cook for 5 minutes. Check potatoes after five minutes, if they aren't done continue in 5 minutes increments with lid on until tender. While potatoes are cooking, and when beef is browned, add the tomatoes, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the meat mixture. When sweet potatoes are cooked through toss them into the meat mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Serve immediately.

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This recipe fits a Paleo diet, if using the sweet potato, and is a great cold weather dish. The chili powder and tomato give it what I'm missing of my mother's chili when we are eating Paleo. Feel free to change the starch to anything you like, I just personally prefer the taste sweet potato adds to savory dishes.