Melted Pork Hash Recipe

Season and combine

Pat the pork pieces dry. Rub the pork all over with the coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper. Place pork in a deep baking dish or roasting pan. Nestle smashed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves among the pieces.

Cover with fat

Pour the melted duck fat over the pork until pieces are fully submerged (use more fat if necessary). Cover the dish tightly with foil and a lid if available.

Slow roast

Preheat oven to 135°C (275°F). Roast the pork, submerged in fat, for 3.5 to 4 hours until the meat is extremely tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.

Cool and store

Remove from oven and let cool in the fat to room temperature. For best texture, refrigerate the pork submerged in fat overnight. When ready to use, lift pork from fat, drain, and shred or cut into bite-sized chunks. Reserve fat for griddling the hashbrowns and searing pork.

While the pork roasts or the day before serving, place the sliced shallots in a jar. Bring apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a simmer until sugar dissolves. Pour hot brine over shallots, press down to submerge, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to several days).

Prepare potatoes

After grating the potatoes, immediately place them in a bowl of cold water and swish to remove excess starch. Drain and repeat until water runs nearly clear. Squeeze the grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth until very dry to remove as much moisture as possible.

Mix

In a large bowl combine the dried grated potatoes, diced onion, flour, beaten egg, salt, and pepper. Toss until well combined.

Griddle hashbrowns

Heat a large heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add neutral oil and melt the butter into it. Scoop 3/4 to 1 cup of potato mixture per hash into the pan, flattening to a 3/4" patty. Cook without moving for 4–6 minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Flip and cook another 3–5 minutes until the other side is crisp and the interior cooked through. Transfer to a warm oven (100–120°C) to keep crisp while finishing remaining batches.

Warm pork and combine

In the same skillet, add a tablespoon of reserved pork fat and warm shredded pork pieces over medium heat just to heat through and lightly brown the edges, about 3–4 minutes. For each serving, nestle a portion of warmed shredded pork on top of a hashbrown on the griddle for 1–2 minutes to marry flavors and create a slight crust between pork and potato.

Set up a double boiler

Whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over (but not touching) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and ribbons form (about 3–4 minutes).

Emulsify

Remove from heat. Very slowly drizzle the hot melted butter into the yolks while whisking continuously to form an emulsion. Continue until all butter is incorporated and sauce is smooth and thick. If sauce gets too thick, whisk in a teaspoon or two of warm water or lemon juice to loosen. Season with salt and white pepper or cayenne. Stir in an additional 1/2 teaspoon Dijon if you want a punchier mustard flavor.

Keep warm

Keep the hollandaise warm (not hot) in a thermos or over very low heat in the double-boiler with occasional whisking until ready to serve.

Toast Scali bread

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt until foaming. Toast the Scali slices 1–2 minutes per side until golden and crisp; keep warm.

Sunny side eggs

In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp butter over medium-low. Crack eggs into the pan, spacing them apart. Cook gently until whites are set but yolks remain runny, about 3–4 minutes. For a slightly set yolk surface, cover the pan for the last 30–45 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

For each serving: place a warm toasted Scali slice on the plate. Top with a crispy hashbrown. Heap warmed shredded pork confit on top of the hashbrown so it 'melts' into the potato. Gently place a sunny-side egg over the pork.

Spoon 2–3 tablespoons of warm Dijon hollandaise over the egg and pork. Scatter a few pickled shallot slices over the top, then garnish with chopped parsley and snipped chives. Serve with a lemon wedge for squeezing and additional hollandaise on the side if desired.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately while hashbrowns are crisp and hollandaise is warm.