“If I had to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite certain that meat would be pork.”
-James Beard
Useless Background
With chilly mornings finally setting in, and the need for comforting, fatty breakfasts on the rise as we push towards winter, I find myself preparing to do the unthinkable.
My readers, I plan to reveal to you a long kept secret, from the ancient repository of Northeastern lore and legends. A food so perfect that we here in New Jersey have spent the last 150 years (since 1870) defending and hiding this glorious, salty, fatty food from the world at large.
The food in question? Pork Roll.
This delicious pork product is a staple of the New Jersey diet – and is particularly wonderful for those living that sinfully sweet Dirty Keto lifestyle. Always pre-cooked, often sold pre-sliced (or in a giant sleeve, like the good ol’ days), this meat is guaranteed to hit spots that even bacon can’t.
So! I’ve developed a quick, healthy, and filling pork roll hash below; if you can’t find pork roll, don’t want to spend the money on pork roll (it can be expensive, ordering out of state) or are afraid of the New Jersey wrath at abusing our ancient and venerable secrets, you can probably replace it with ham steak or Canadian bacon for something passable – but I really encourage you to get the real thing (not an affiliate link), and give it a try!
Ingredients & Recipe
Primary Ingredients
- 6 oz Pork Roll (diced)
- 1 medium Zucchini (diced)
- 1/2 Red Onion (diced)
- 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- Black Pepper (To Taste)
- Garlic Powder (To Taste)
- Cayenne Pepper (To Taste)
Note: While most of my links are affiliate links to help support the blog, the pork roll link above is not – because pork roll on Amazon is just too expensive. Buy it from the source for the best out-of-state price.
Instructions
- Take a moment to gather your ingredients, and shut away the rest of the world. Send your kid out to watch cartoons, or play dragons.
- Set your skillet to heat on the stove, with enough avocado oil to evenly coat it. While that heats, make yourself coffee. You deserve it, for cooking this morning.
- Dice your ingredients, if you haven’t already. Don’t worry – I always forget to do it in advance, too. It’s too early in the morning to stress over the details.
- Toss your onions and your zucchini onto the skillet, and season with cayenne pepper and black pepper. Don’t worry about the salt – pork roll brings plenty with it.
- Give the onions and zucchini a good 3 – 4 minutes to cook. Seriously. Stir if you have to, or leave in one place if you like a little char.
- Add in the pork roll – spice again with the garlic and the black pepper, and mix it all up (don’t double up on the cayenne, unless you like things with a kick).
- Keep it going for 2 – 3 minutes. One of the beauties of pork roll is that it’s already cooked – what you’re doing here is heating it, and infusing that gorgeous pork flavor into the zucchini and the onion.
- Take another sip of your coffee. I know it feels like it’s been an hour, but you haven’t even made it to 2 minutes yet! Deep breath, a second sip, and…okay. Breathe. Now you can turn the heat off on the stove.
- Sprinkle the cheddar cheese across the top of the pan, nicely coating everything. Let it rest for a couple of minutes as the cheese melts on top.
- Portion out your food onto the plates; garnish with sour cream and scallions to your heart’s content. Eat, and repeat at step 1.
Guestimated Nutrition Facts
Additional Photos
Assorted Legalese
While I will never recommend a product I don’t use or personally endorse, I do receive a small fee from Amazon for any products ordered through the recipe links. This lets me keep all other advertising nonsense off this site, and ensures that I’m only promoting the products /I/ choose to endorse, and only for the people who decide to purchase them and support me.
Oh, and Amazon wants me to specifically add: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.