Corned beef hash is one of my guilty pleasures. I try to order it whenever we go to breakfast at our local diner. Aimee turns her nose every time I order it and says it looks like dog food but I beg to differ! Maybe it’s not the most attractive of food item on the menu, but the bold flavor and salty bite from the pickled brisket mixed with the fluffy, creamy potatoes and the warm, buttery onions? It’s like all my food fantasies rolled into one forkful. Aimee doesn’t really like corned beef and cabbage so it’s not something we would normally make at home. But let’s face it..this time of year changes everything. Since St. Patty's Day is upon us the essential ingredients of this dish have been on sale everywhere in the last few weeks. This passed weekend my cravings and the supermarket flyer joined forces and convinced me to make my first attempt at tackling a corned beef hash recipe in my own kitchen. I have always wanted to make it myself, I guess I just never thought to do so when it’s so commonly found on the breakfast menu of most restaurants. Once the thought was in my head, there was no stopping me from going out to buy a corned beef brisket just for this very occasion!
According to all the recipes I found online, corned beef hash calls for pre-cooked corned beef and pre-cooked potatoes. (Basically, lots of great recipes meant for leftovers). I was thinking of going all the way and corning my own brisket, but that is way too much work for me. So, I purchased a 2.5 lb. Flat Cut Corned Beef Brisket. I followed the package directions in cooking it, and it let it simmer for about 2 hours. Then took it out of the water and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before trimming off any excess fat. Then I simply cubed it up small and stored the beef in the refrigerator to cool down while I peeled and diced 6 Yukon Gold potatoes. I boiled them until tender, drained them, and put them aside. Yes, I was going to be making a lot of hash!
Once everything had been cooked and cooled, I finely chopped a medium yellow onion. I heated a 12 inch cast iron skillet to medium and melted 3 Tbs of unsalted butter. I added the onions in the skillet and cooked them until translucent. While they were cooking I combined 2 cups of potatoes with 2 cups of corned beef. I added the mixture to the skillet and pressed it down, letting it cook until brown on the bottom, then flipping it over to brown up a little more. The smell wafting through my kitchen was making my mouth water. I could not wait to taste it!
I was happy to find that it was not nearly as salty as the canned version and it has much more depth of flavor. I do have to admit, I would rather eat this meal out than cook it myself. It is a bit of work to make, unless you are using St. Patty’s day leftovers. I hope to try this again sometime soon, when I do make corned beef and cabbage. (If my wife will let me, that is). We sure hope you all have a yummy, safe Saint Patrick’s day – don’t forget to wear green!
What will you do with YOUR Saint Pat's leftovers? We want to know! :)
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