Apple Sweet Potato and Mushroom Hash

It's fall. In our house we take this time of year very seriously. By that I mean, we want to do as many fall activities as possible. One of them involves apple picking. It's been a long standing tradition my husband and I started years ago. It generally involves eating 3 or 4 while picking (You know you do it too) to the point of nausea. There isn't a time in my daily life where I would consider eating that many apples but things are different when you're in the orchard.

Anyway, apple picking this year was slightly different. I didn't consider what it would be like with a 16 month old and a 4 year old. We certainly couldn't linger about and take our time, blissfully picking apples. My son was good about it, but was mostly laying in the orchard complaining that he's tired or running through a nearby pumpkin patch, while my daughter was busy attempting to eat everything form apples to rocks and whatever else she could find in her path. Meanwhile, my husband and I were speed picking 10 lbs of apples.

In the moment, things seemed chaotic and mildly frustrating but also special. As I'm writing this, I think about how this memory will be one I will long for dearly in a few years. It's not just fall and not just apple picking, it's our apple picking, making memories, collecting these snippets of life and longing to hold on to them forever.

But back to the apples. 10 lbs of them. So, what to do? When it comes to seasonal ingredients, I try to use them as much as possible in a variety of ways, so I thought I would create a breakfast hash with apples. I already love sweet potatoes and mushrooms so why not add apple to the mix and see what happens. And you know what? It worked beautifully. The tang from the apple worked well with the rest of the ingredients.

apple sweet potato and mushroom hash

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 apple peeled and cut into small cubes
2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes (about 1")
8 white mushrooms, sliced or cut into small pieces
1 large shallot or ½ an onion if you don't have shallot on hand
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (you can use dry, but fresh makes a difference in this dish)
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup water
1 tablespoon avocado oil

Serve with suggestion:

Fried or over easy eggs

Equipment:

Cast iron or stainless steel frying pan

Directions:

Heat pan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook for 2 minutes until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except for water. Cook for 10 minutes stirring regularly. Add water and cover continuing to stir for another 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes have softened.