Smoked Haddock & Leek Hash, Poached Egg, Parsley Sauce

The misses and I went to the coast last summer with the sole intent of eating at Mark Hix Lyme Regis (@hixrestaurants). He is the master of understated, seasonal and bloody tasty food - and I highly recommend his books and food columns. This is one of the dishes I ate there and it left a delicious lingering memory. It makes for a very quick mid-week supper making use of any leftover cold boiled potatoes you may have kicking about. 

Ingredients:

Leftover boiled potatoes - 400g, cut into chunks

Undyed Smoked Haddock - 400g

Leeks - 400g, washed and trimmed weight

Parsley - a large handful, chopped

Veg Oil - 1 tbsp

Butter - a large knob

Plain Flour - 1 tbsp

Milk - about half a pint

Very fresh eggs - 2 large ones

Method:

First poach the haddock in the milk. Place the whole fillet in a pan, add the milk, cover with parchment and gently simmer for a few minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Drain, reserving the milk and allow the fish to cool before flaking and discarding the skin and any bones.

In a non-stick frying pan melt a little butter and slice the leeks into 2 cm rings. Add the leeks cut side down along with a few tbsp of water. Cover with parchment and gently fry until the leeks are soft and starting to colour on one side. Remove the leeks from the pan and set aside. Add a splash of veg oil to the same pan and fry the potatoes on a medium heat until the edges start to colour and crisp. 

In the meantime get a deep pan of boiling water on for the poached eggs. When boiling give the water a swirl and gently break the eggs into the centre of the vortex poaching until cooked but with a runny centre. You can tell if they are cooked by gently lifting the egg out of the water and giving it a gentle squeeze. 

Add the leeks and haddock to the potatoes along with a little knob of butter and some seasoning - warm through. Heat the remaining butter in a small pan, add the flour to make a roux and then pour in the reserved poaching milk stirring continuously to make a white sauce. When the sauce has thickened, simmer for a minute or so to cook out the flour then adjust the seasoning. Toss a little parsley into the fish mixture, the rest into the sauce. 

Plate up the hash, top with an egg and serve the parsley sauce on the side.