Turkey Hash — Ma’s Sunday Table, This Time in My Own Kitchen

Five hundred weeks. I did the math driving home from clinic Wednesday. Five hundred weeks since I started writing these. That is nine and a half years. I started in April 2016, the spring I got engaged, before any of it. Before Liam, before Nora, before Sean dying, before any of who I am now. The girl writing week one would not recognize the woman writing week five hundred. The woman writing week five hundred would put her arms around her, tell her nothing, let her go.

I am not going to make this entry into a ceremony. The number is just a number. I noticed it. I am moving on.

Halloween was Friday. The candy survived twelve hours. Saturday morning Nora was wired by 7 AM on a Skittles breakfast. Liam slept until nine and ate three Reese's cups before pancakes.

Group Tuesday. Bernadette had us share what we had been most surprised by this year. I said how much I had grown to love this group. People were quiet. Then Henry said the same. Lila said the same. We laughed. The room held.

Clinic was busy. End of October hits people with the weather flip. Three new sinus infections. Two ear pulls in toddlers. One man with what turned out to be early shingles — caught it Tuesday, started him on antivirals, got him through the week without nerve pain. Small victory. I will take it.

Wednesday Kettle. Ten quarts again. I called Father Murphy after to take him up on the parish kitchen. Starting January. We will move there for the cooking. I will keep the recipe at home — it is not a kitchen-dependent recipe, it is a hands recipe — but the volume needs the bigger space. He sounded pleased on the phone. He said God works in soup. I said amen.

Saturday pancakes. Burned the first. Sean's jersey straight.

Sunday dinner at Ma's: chicken and dumplings, which is what she makes when the weather turns. The dumplings are clouds. I keep trying to make them like hers. I am close. I am not there.

Food of the week: Ma's chicken and dumplings. The dumplings are still hers. Goal for next year: master the dumplings.

I am not there yet with the dumplings — Ma’s clouds are still hers — but I can do something honest in a cast-iron pan while I keep practicing. This Turkey Hash is the same impulse as her Sunday chicken and dumplings: use what the week gave you, add heat, feed people who need feeding. It is not a ceremony. It is just dinner. And some weeks, dinner is enough.

Turkey Hash

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, diced small (about 3 cups)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 4 large eggs (optional, for serving)

Instructions

1. Par-cook the potatoes. Place diced potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook 5–6 minutes until just fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain well and pat dry with a clean towel.
2. Build the base. In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. Crisp the potatoes. Add the drained potatoes to the skillet in a single layer. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme. Press down gently with a spatula. Let cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until a golden crust forms, then stir and press again. Repeat once more for even browning, about 10 minutes total.
4. Add the turkey. Fold in the chopped turkey and pour in the chicken broth. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook another 4–5 minutes until the turkey is heated through and the broth has mostly absorbed. Taste and adjust salt.
5. Finish and serve. Remove from heat and scatter parsley over the top. If topping with eggs, fry or poach them separately and place one on each serving. Serve directly from the skillet.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 410mg