Prime Rib Hash

This is the perfect post-Christmas breakfast - or dinner - and the best way I know to use up the final, precious bits of a great rib roast.

<li>Prime Rib Hash:
<li>What you need before you start: a couple of small whole potatoes that are already cooked (any kind of potato will do, either baked or boiled), cut into small cubes.  About 2 cups of cold roast beef, cut into tiny cubes.  A small onion, diced.  Some aromatics, and a half cup of cream (Half and Half will do; heavy is better).  Three or four eggs.

Cook the potatoes in a well-oiled skillet for about 10 minutes, stirring about from time to time until they have turned golden.  Add the onions and cook until they become translucent and the potatoes begin to crisp, another 10 minutes or so.  Add the beef and a few aromatics if you like – I sometimes add a bit of thyme, or parsley, occasionally a clove or two of garlic, perhaps a small scraping of nutmeg.  If I’m in the mood, I’ll throw in a few flakes of hot chile pepper as well. Season with salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the beef gives up its fat and begins to send its scent into the air.

Pour in the cream, listen to it sizzle, stir it about and then press the hash into the skillet with a spatula. Raise the heat beneath the pan and cook, turning occasionally until the cream has vanished into the hash, forming a wonderfully crisp crust.  This will take about 8 minutes.  Top each of three or four servings with its own softly fried egg.