LOBSTER HASH

Steps:

• If using live lobster, steam or boil them. Let cool at room temperature. Use a cleaver to remove the meat from the claws, knuckles and tails. Freeze the carcass for future use. Remove the cartilage from the claws and the intestine from the tail of the cooked meat. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch chunks. Cover and refrigerate.
• Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes. Drain and let cool. Cut the potatoes, with their skins, into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a mixing bowl.
• Cook the bacon in an 8- or 9-inch sauté pan over medium heat until browned and crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and, using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the bacon to the potatoes. Return the sauté pan to the heat and add the onion and pepper. Turn up the heat and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until browned. Add the thyme and paprika, mix well and remove from the heat.
• Add the onion and pepper (including the fat) to the potatoes. Mix in the lobster meat and season with salt and pepper. Mix very well, mashing the potato a bit so that the mixture sticks together. Divide the mixture into four 8-ounce portions and shape into 5-inch cakes. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
• Fill a deep pan with water for poaching the eggs. Lightly salt the water and add 1 tablespoon white vinegar for each cup of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so that it barely simmers.
• Heat the oil in a well-seasoned 12- to 14-inch skillet over medium high heat. Cook the hash "cakes" (they should sizzle when you add them to the pan) for about 5 minutes until the sides are crisp and brown. Using a spatula, turn the cakes over. If they break when turning, don't worry; just use the spatula to reshape them in the pan. Meanwhile, break the eggs one at a time into a small bowl and slide each into the poaching liquid. Do this quickly so that all the eggs cook in about the same amount of time. It will take only 2 minutes for a loose poached egg: whites barely set and yolks runny. Center each hash cake on a medium plate and, using a slotted spoon, gently place a poached egg on top. Grind a bit of pepper over each egg and sprinkle the scallions over the entire dish. Serve at once.