Kale hash with potatoes, mushrooms, onion  and bacon

This is a really easy side dish that serves four. It is also very flexible, in that you could add or change out ingredients. It takes less than half an hour including all prep.

2 russet potatoes
1/2 onion (or more if you want!)'
2 or more big handfuls of kale, washed and stripped from the stems unless it's baby kale with tender stems
5 or so "baby bella" cremini mushrooms or whatever kind you have
4 to 6 strips of bacon

Fry the bacon and remove from skillet. Unless there's a lot of bacon fat in the skillet, add a little canola oil.
Peel and slice the potatoes and start frying them, medium. Be sure to salt and pepper them and add any other seasoning you like, such as smoked paprika. Clean and slice the mushrooms and dice the onion and throw them in. Stir a little to turn the potatoes over. If there is too much sizzling at any point, just turn the heat down. Wash the kale and tear or cut from the stems and into pieces no bigger than 2 inches or so, and add it on top. You might add just a splash of white wine at this point. I did. Cover the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes. Cut up that bacon and put it on top and cook another minute or so. Test to see that the potatoes are tender. When they're done, stir and serve.


I served with baked shrimp. There are none of those left to photograph. I used 1/2 pound of shrimp for two people. The kale hash photo is of what's left after two people had it! The leftovers will reheat fine and I may add a little cheese!

But for the shrimp: Peel and devein, toss with a little oil and season with Old Bay or a mixture of salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder and ginger. Put on a sheet pan and bake at 350 for 4 minutes. Turn 'em over and turn the oven off and take them out after a minute or two.
You could even save a pan by adding the shrimp to the skillet about 5 minutes before everything else is done (after the kale). Or you could cook the shrimp in the bacon fat before the potatoes, take the shrimp out when they are done and add back at the last minute.

This would be good with cut up apples or pears instead of or in addition to potatoes. If you don't eat bacon, you could leave it out. Won't be as good, but that's your call.You could add just about any veg, as long as you put the slower-cooking ones in early and the quicker-cooking ones in toward the end.