Potato Hash with Bell Peppers & Onions

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There are so many great ways to prepare potatoes. This version, Potato Hash with Bell Peppers and Onions, will delight your tastebuds with a great mix of flavors

I never learned to cook as a child. I remember occasionally helping my mom when she baked, but that was about it. When I hit middle school, my cooking “skills” consisted of eggs, chocolate chip cookies, and the occasional spaghetti. Right after college I moved into an apartment with my friend Kara, so I knew it was time to learn to cook at least a few things; otherwise I would weigh 500lbs from eating out all the time. I watched my mom, then helped her a few times, to learn some basic skills and recipes. Once I moved out on my own I learned a few more recipes, but was still rotating the same recipes over and over again.

My habit of rotating recipes is one of the reasons I began this blog. Several years ago I began a goal of making one brand new recipe per week. My success has been kind of like a diet: I start off strong, get complacent, inevitably fall back into my old habits, and then a month or so later start strong again. Thanks to Pinterest, I have tons of recipes to choose from. So there is really no excuse for reverting to my old standby recipes. However, during times like football season when I am super busy, it is so much easier to just cook what I know.

A few years ago I discovered a recipe for Potato Hash with Bell Peppers and Onions. I have made it many times, and it is one of my favorite side dishes. This is also one of the recipes I never posted about early in the blog when I first made the dish, and I don’t know why not. I think at that time I was so focused on brand new recipes, that I let some of my favorites fall to the wayside. That’s also kind of the problem with Pinterest. When you go into Pinterest to find something specific, you get sucked into all of the new pins. I’ve literally gone in to find one thing, and 30 minutes later completely forget what I was even looking for…but found dozens of new things to pin.

I have a lot of recipes that I’ve made and love, but never posted about them. That is something I need to fix.

I love this Potato Hash with Bell Peppers and Onions. It’s so flavorful and filling, and a perfect one-pot side. I always have red, yellow and green peppers in the fridge; even when a recipe only calls for one color, I usually add all of them. There’s no such thing as too much bell pepper

As with many recipes, I’ve had my fair share of failures with this Potato Hash with Bell Peppers & Onions. I do not par-boil the potatoes prior to the skillet, so you’ve got to make sure you give them enough time to cook through and get that beautiful golden brown. I’ve turned up the heat to cook the potatoes faster, and only succeeded in burning them on the outside. I’ve tried only adding a little bit of cooking spray to the skillet, but if you don’t add enough then the potatoes stick. Sure, you can add oil afterwards, but then the potatoes taste more oily. And that’s not a good thing.

The original recipe calls for fresh, minced garlic in the last few minutes of cooking. I’ve done it that way, added the garlic earlier with the onions and peppers, and also used roasted garlic. It think it boils down to your preference. Fresh garlic late in cooking adds the most bite. Roasted garlic, added at any time, will be the least bite, but will add a greater depth of flavor.

I love the addition of parmesan at the end. Years ago, I only ever bought the stuff in the green can. Once I discovered the real paremsan cheese in a block, I’ve never looked back. Sure, the green can says “real”, but there is absolutely no comparison in terms of taste or flavor. There is nothing like the bite of freshly shaved or grated parmesan. I traditionally garnish this Potato Hash with Bell Peppers & Onions with parsley. However, basil also adds a wonderful punch of flavor.

To me, Potato Hash with Bell Peppers & Onions is best just out of the skillet. The parmesan will melt just slightly, and you still have the bite of the potatoes and peppers. It will, of course, still be delicious warm or room temperature, and therefore perfect for a potluck or picnic.

Potato Hash with Bell Peppers & Onions will always have a place near the top of my go-to side dishes.

Adapted from The Comfort of Cooking