Turkey hash with mustard sauce. And traditions.

Tradition is serious business come the holidays. There are some traditions that people will just not let go. In my family, for example, we have jellied cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving. The kind that jiggles out of the can. The kind that I, as a food blogger, probably should not be professing my love for in this very public space. But there you have it: This shameful dish has been on our Thanksgiving table for as long as I can remember, and I love the stuff.

Other traditions come and go, no matter how hard you want to hold on. Marriage will do these kinds of things, so that holiday traditions are doubled, tripled, quadrupled. And even though it can be tough splitting holidays between families, missing one Christmas morning for another, and spending another Thanksgiving without certain faces, there is something to be said for making brand new traditions that just might stick, and to embrace the traditions that are gifted from others.

I love hearing about other families' traditions. About annual hikes on Thanksgiving mornings, and special wrapping paper used only for Santa's gifts. About stockings, and lists, and Alaskan King crab dinners on New Year's Eve. About the best banana cream pie ever, and that favorite meal of leftovers enjoyed the day after Thanksgiving.



Leslie's Turkey Hash with Mustard Sauce
*Note from Leslie: My dad's favorite meal on Earth. Best enjoyed the day after Thanksgiving.

This recipe is adapted from my cook.eat.smile recipe book. Just like most family recipes, the original had few exact measurements. Below are the measurements I used, with the addition of green pepper and garlic. The results were delicious. That sauce! I could bathe in it. Thanks, Les!

For the hash:
1 1/2 cups leftover cooked turkey, chopped
3 cups red potatoes, boiled but still firm, then chopped (I used 7 small ones)
3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, green peppers, and garlic, and cook for a few minutes until soft. Add potatoes, turkey, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook everything until brown and potatoes are done to your tastes. I cooked mine until browned and slightly crispy.

Meanwhile, make mustard sauce.

For the mustard sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons dry powder mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour

In a small saucepan, heat the broths to a simmer over medium-low heat. Whisk in mustards until combined. Add flour and butter to desired thickness.* Adjust to taste.

Pour sauce over hash and enjoy! Mmmmmm.

*The butter and flour are for thickening purposes. Just make sure you have equal parts. You may use more or less depending on how you like the sauce.