Letting The Chef Work His Magic

The Early Show resident chef Bobby Flay could have been in a real pickle had he "surprised" co-anchor Rene Syler at her home just a day earlier.

In this week's series "Guess Who's Coming To Lunch?" he took over her husband's kitchen and showed Syler how to turn some surprise finds into an amazing meal for two.

Flay arrived at the house before she did.

"Alright, we're waiting for Rene Syler to get here from her day at 'The Early Show,'" Flay says. "We got to her house before she did, so what we're going to do is wait now to see what she's got in her cupboards," Flay said, getting ready for the big surprise. "I know she's doesn't like to cook a lot, so she says, but we know, with the whole family thing, we know she's got some food here."

Soon enough, Syler arrived screaming with enthusiasm about Flay being at her house.

"I'm here for lunch, we're cooking," Flay told her.

She just kept on screaming, "I can't believe you're here in my kitchen. You know what, you're so lucky because I bought some stuff for Buff to cook." Buff is her husband with whom she has two children.

Looking at her pantry and refrigerator, Syler pointed out, "We're big on eggs. We're big on chocolate (Reeses)." There was spaghetti sauce and Mojito mix. "We know that you like Mojitos," Flay says. There also was fresh dill, fake crab and smoked salmon.

Flay was pleased. The credit went to Buff. Syler says, "This is my husband it's all him, not me. I'm generally not allowed in the room. As a matter of fact, I've only been in here a half a dozen times."

The meal? Flay suggested, "you have the potatoes and the mushrooms and the salmon. I'm thinking we're going to do kind of, like, a salmon potato hash with poached eggs on the top. Do you like this deal?"

An emphatic "yes" followed. Click here to get the recipe.

Flay decided to use the smoked salmon, which he found out was three or four weeks old, and the regular salmon.

Curious, he asked, "When Buff cooks, what do you usually do?" Pointing at her chair, Syler said, I sit right over there with a glass of wine." Syler was very pleased when Flay told her to take up the same position.

Flay, hard at work, dumped the potatoes into a pot with water, chopped the mushrooms while Syler uncorked the wine. He asked, "You want me to make the entire thing?

"When is this ever going to happen for me again? Never," was her answer.

Flay explained his cooking method: "We are going to fold the mushrooms into the salmon and the potatoes."

Looking at the ingredients, Syler asked, "Is this all the mushrooms we're going to use?" She was hinting she wanted more. "Now, she's bossing me around," Flay joked.

Then he proceeded to make a garlic paste. For the poached eggs he used vinegar and cold water to aid in the coagulation process. But unable to find the vinegar, Syler had to phone her husband and left him a message: "Bobby Flay is in your kitchen, cooking, that was the surprise shoot today. Bobby Flay is cooking lunch for us. And number two, I don't know where the vinegar is, call me."

Soon Flay found it and showed Syler how to poach the eggs, which she did quite well.

"I'm going to call you Rene Benedict," he complimented her.

Meanwhile the potatoes were ready and it was time for the salmon. Looking at the portions, he said laughing, "This is going to be lunch at Rene's house for the next two months."

Rene clapped and said, "Buff is going to be so happy."

Once the meal was done, Flay made sure he cut a lime for Syler's mojito.

"This is great," she said, "you ought to make a living out of this."

"One day," Flay replied.

Recipe

Rene's Eggs with Poached Salmon-Potato Hash
Serves: 2

8 small new potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound button or cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 8-ounce salmon fillet
2 tablespoons fresh dill, plus more for garnish
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vinegar
4 thin slices of smoked salmon

Method

1. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until just cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Drain the potatoes, let cook slightly then cut into 1/4-inch dice.
2. Bring 3 cups of water to a simmer in a medium high-sided pan. Season salmon with salt and pepper and poach the salmon until just cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Drain on a towel and flake with a fork.
3. While the potatoes and salmon are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown and liquid has completely evaporated. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Fold in the potatoes, salmon and 2 tablespoons of fresh dill and season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture cool slightly, then form into 4 patties. Heat the remaining oil in a large sauté pan over high heat and sauté the patties for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Keep warm.
4. Bring 3 cups of water and the vinegar to a simmer in a large high-sided pan. Break 1 egg at a time into a small cup and carefully slide the egg into the simmering water. Cook the egg until the yellow is just firm, about 4-6 minutes. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and drain quickly on a towel, season with salt and pepper.
5. Place two hash patties on each plate. Top each patty with a poached egg. Place a slice of smoked salmon on each egg and garnish with fresh dill.