Recipe: Corned Beef Hash

Hi Pam:-) To be perfectly honest, I have never made corned beef hash from scratch but I am posting 3 recipes from well known American chefs and cookbooks. I know that you can get canned (tinned) corn beef in the UK but if you are able to buy a corned beef (either brisket or round - the name of the cuts we get here), and cook it, then make the hash, you might be happier with the results. Corned beef, here, is a sort of pickled or brined piece of roast beef. Also, since corned beef and cabbage is sort of a tradition for many people of Irish decent (and for many people who aren't of Irish descent - who just like the meal and want to celebrate anyway:-) ) here in the U.S., on St. Patrick's Day, many recipes were posted for it at this site. I think that there were also some recipes for corning the beef yourself, which is a bit of an undertaking but is an alternative if you aren't fond of the tinned product. I think that the recipe from James Beard is closest to the canned hash that I use but probably better by far!! Also, I would dice the ingrdients. Anyway, here, are the recipes.

Corned Beef Hash from James Beard's American Cookery

2 lbs., cooked, cold corned beef
4 to 6 boiled potatoes of medium size, coarsely chopped (I would make the potatoes the same size as the corned beef, which is chopped fairly fine).
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Butter or beef drippings
Heavy cream or boiling water

"For many people this is the best part of the corned beef. It has been a breakfast dish for generations, and it is one of the more popular luncheon dishes to be found anywhere - with a bit of chili sauce, usually, and a poached egg for garniture. This is a standard hash, rich in flavor, but the proportions may be altered to suit your taste."

Chop the meat fairly fine with a knife rather than using a grinder. Combine the potatoes and onion with the meat and add a few good grinds of black pepper and the nutmeg. Blend well ane allow to rest in the refrigerator several hours or overnight. When ready to cook, melt just enough butter or beef drippings in a heavy skillet to cover the bottom, 4 to 6 Tbl. (Here, you will put the hash in a shallow baking dish. Since the canned product, here, has quite a lot of fat in it, I don't grease the dish but you will want to if you make it from scratch or if the tinned corned beef in the UK is lean.) Add the hash and press down somewhat firmly. When the hash begins to develop a crust on the bottom, turn with a spatula so that some of the crust is brought to the top. At this point, many people add about 1/2 c. heavy cream or some boiling water, which enables the bottom crust to brown more quickly. You may want to add some water before you put the hash in the baking dish so it will brown a little and become a little crusty. I notice that the can of hash that I have, has water listed as an ingredient. I didn't know that this would help it brown more quickly. "I prefer to cook the hash slowly to develop the crust, turning it sevaral times." When it has crusted nicely, loosen it with a spatula, fold it once, and turn it out onto a platter, crusty side up. Serve with paoched eggs, toast and chili sauce. Note: Some recipes include finely chopped green pepper, to be added to the corned beef with the onion.

A variation is: Red Flannel Hash

"Beloved of New Englanders, this is a corned beef hash to which one adds coarsely chopped cook beets to taste before crisping in the skillet - not pickled beets, but boiled beets."

Corned Beef Hash from The New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne

Corned Beef Hash 4 Servings

1 lb. cooked corned beef (Approxiamtely 2 cups)
3 to 4 medium potatoes, cooked
1 small onion
1/2 large green pepper
1 small stalk celery 1 or 2 sprigs parsley

Prehaet oven to hot (425 degrees F).
Grind all ingredients in a food grinder, using the finest knife. Mix well.
Turn into a shallow greased 9 inch pan. Bake until the crust is browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Fold as you would an omelet. Serve with poached eggs, catsup, or thickened tomato sauce.

Corned Beef Hash and Potatoes from The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker

Grind, using coarse blade, or dice: 1 1/2 lbs. cooked or canned corned beef, about 3 cups.

Dice: 2 c. boiled potatoes

Melt in a large saucepan: 2 Tbl. butter

Stir in and simmer until tender: 1/2 c, chopped onion, 1 diced green pepper, seeds and pith removed, 2 ribs chopped celery. 1 clove garlic (optional), 1 c. mushrooms (optional)

Remove the garlic, if used. Add beef and potatoes and: 1 Tbl. Worcestershire Sauce, @ Tbl. parsley and chives, salt and pepper as needed

Cook and stir over medium heat while adding gradually: 1/3 to 2/3 c. beef stock or cream sauce (white sauce or bechamel)
Stir and cooktill well blended and thoroughly heated. Place on a hot platter and serve with 6 poached eggs or saute the hash in a greased skillet until well browned on the bottom. Remove carefully, folding like an omelet, to serve.

Good luck, Pam! I hope that this works out for you. You might want to try each of the recipes and decide which you like best before making it for Christmas morning.