I recently experimented with making my own corned beef from scratch. The main reason I did it was to make good corned beef hash. I even made a big batch of corned beef and cabbage just to boil the potatoes to use later in the hash. If you’ve only ever had the canned variety of corned beef hash with the cubed, cat-food-like morsels, you owe it to yourself to try the real thing.
It’s rare for diners and restaurants to cook corned beef hash from scratch. Almost everyone griddles something like Hormel’s canned hash. It’s not terrible, but it’s not terribly good either. It’s definitely not good for you.
The best corned beef hash I’ve ever ordered was at Toast in Charlotte, NC. The most insulting was at Another Broken Egg in Birmingham, AL. They advertised it as “House Made” on the menu, but all they did was add some sautéed onions and peppers to canned hash. The meal wasn’t that bad, but the bait-and-switch was.
Some people try to get too creative with corned beef hash and ruin it. All it takes to elevate this dish to the next level is to use fresh corned beef—preferably homemade. It’s a simple meal with just a few ingredients and it should be made simply. That what I tried to do here.
Homemade Corned Beef Hash
- 1 cup or more fresh corned beef, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cups yukon gold potatoes, cooked and chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- salt & pepper to taste
For homemade corned beef hash, you just melt a couple of tablespoons of butter and maybe a teaspoon of canola oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan. Dice an onion and cook until translucent. Add the diced corned beef and potatoes and press into a single layer. Leave it alone until it’s browned and then start flipping it. I can never manage to keep it in one layer after the first flip, so I flip it every minute or so until it’s finished cooking. Look at how nice and crispy it’s getting here.
When it’s about done, season to taste with salt and pepper. It shouldn’t need much salt. You can also add a little freshly chopped rosemary, sage, or thyme if you want to get really fancy.
Some people serve corned beef hash over toast. Other people cook eggs in little impressions in the hash while it’s still in the pan. I like my hash plain. If you make it right, you don’t need to dress it up.
Hash is a pretty common way that I use leftovers in my house. Smoked turkey always gets pan-fried for breakfast or turned into a hash. I also make roast beef hash occasionally, but my second-favorite hash besides corned beef hash is something that I make with leftover rosemary pork tenderloin and roasted baby gold potatoes. I guess I should probably blog that recipe at some point since it’s one of my absolute favorite meals. It’s pretty funny; I get really excited in anticipation of eating it. Inevitably, I decide that a fork is too slow and cumbersome and I start eating it with my fingers as the wife looks on in disgust, second-guessing her choice of mate.
