Vegan Brunch Recipes: Fennel And White Bean Hash

Confession: after long, stressful days at work, one of my favorite ways to decompress is to lay in bed and watch Chopped or Cutthroat Kitchen. Interestingly, until this year, I had no interest whatsoever in cooking shows. The thought of watching someone assemble a meal on television sounded mind-numbing, and I had more interesting things to do (like watching Property Brothers, obviously).

Once I gave the cooking channel a chance, though, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed watching other people chop and whisk (though I could do without the animal carcasses). On Chopped, contestants are asked to cook palatable dishes from seemingly incongruous ingredients (think chocolate cookies, salmon, and peanut butter). One of the more common dishes the chefs turn to is a hash, a meal commonly featuring chopped meat and potatoes. This weekend, I set out to create my own version of the popular pairing.

My iteration of this versatile dish includes all of my favorite spring foods: fennel, baby potatoes, and dill. The fennel is sautéed until it’s sweet and tender, and the beans and potatoes add that characteristic heartiness without the saturated fat of meat. This is a great dish for any time of day, but I think it would be especially superb for brunch topped with some avocado. Yum!

Vegan Fennel And White Bean Hash

By Molly Lansdowne

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 small fennel bulb, sliced thinly

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 lb new potatoes, halved

1 1/2 cups cooked navy beans (or another type of white bean)

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 tablespoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh dill)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Put potatoes in a small pot and add enough water to cover them by an inch. Bring pot to a boil and let potatoes cook until they are just fork-tender, about 10 minutes. You don’t want them so tender that they fall off the fork, however, since you’ll be sauteeing them later. After potatoes have cooked, drain and let cool before slicing.

2. While potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and fennel, and sauté for 5-7 minutes until fennel is translucent. Add the pepper, cumin, dill, and salt and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

3. Add sliced potatoes to skillet and sauté until browning, about 5 minutes. Add navy beans and sauté for another minute or so, until they have warmed through.