Beef & Potato Hash with Fried Eggs

Ingredients

• 500g minced beef
• 500g waxy potatoes, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 100g baby spinach, chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 10g chives, chopped
• 10g fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 eggs
• Crusty sourdough toast, to serve
• Dressed leaves, to serve
• Brown sauce, to serve
• Baked beans, to serve

Method

1. Parboil the diced potatoes in well-salted water for 6–7 minutes until a knife slides in with just a little resistance. Drain and leave them to steam in the colander for a minute or two — dry potatoes crisp, wet ones sulk.
2. Heat 1 tbsp garlic-infused oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Tip the potatoes in as a single layer and leave them alone for 3–4 minutes until the undersides are deep golden, then toss and brown the other faces. Crowding kills the crust, so use a wide pan.
3. Push the potatoes to one edge, add the second tbsp of oil and the mince. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper as it goes in. Brown it in two batches if your pan looks tight — all at once and the pan crowds, water comes out, and you've boiled the meat instead of browning it. Let the edges caramelise and the juices reduce, about 6 minutes, stirring only occasionally so a proper fond builds underneath.
4. Stir in the carrot and red pepper, then add the smoked paprika, Dijon and Worcestershire sauce. Let the paprika bloom in the hot oil for 30–60 seconds until fragrant — raw spice tastes dusty, bloomed spice tastes of itself. Cook another 3 minutes until the vegetables soften but still hold a bite and the mixture turns sticky and cohesive, the Worcestershire dragging up the brown stuck bits from the base of the pan.
5. Fold through the spinach with most of the chives and parsley until the leaves collapse and everything is evenly distributed. The hash should be moist but not saucy. Taste, season, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
6. In a separate non-stick pan, fry the eggs in a little oil until the whites are set with crisp lacy edges and the yolks still wobble — they'll act as a velvety sauce for the hash.
7. Divide the hash between plates, top each with a fried egg, scatter the reserved chives and parsley over, and finish with a hard crack of black pepper. Brown sauce and baked beans alongside.