Gord's Corned Beef Hash

I prefer the American Diner classic Corned Beef Hash while the version in a can is simply a waste of money. The canned version is too salty with a overly mushy texture. With a little work any one can make this great tasting dish. First we need some great corned beef which we have three choices - make your own, cook a packaged corn beef or buy your favorite sandwich version and have the store slice it thick. If you have the time by all means do your own but if time is of the essence go to the deli counter and get a thick slice. The happy medium is buy a whole corned beef and braise it to make it falling apart tender, We could then do a quick deep fry similar to great carnitas to crisp up the meat. While we have the hot oil we could also deep fry the potatoes to make them crispy. Then we have crunchy bits surrounded by a soft hash, the best of both worlds. What ever you do make it your own.

Ingredients:

 1 1/2 pounds corned beef
 1 1/2 medium onions
 2 russet potatoes
 1/2 sweet red pepper (optional)
 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
 1/4 tsp. onion powder
 fresh parsley for garnish
 4 oz. butter
 3-6 Tbsp. oil
 salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

 Prepare the corned beef and dice into 1/2 inch cubes. Dice the onion and pepper to the same size, Peel the potato and dice into 1/2 inch cubes and soak in cold water. Take 1/3 each of the corned beef, onion and potatoes and finely chop in a food processor until it is ground. 

 If you are using a braised corned beef that is very tender you may want to fry it first to crisp it. In a medium skillet melt one half of the butter and add the remaining corned beef, onions and peppers. Season with salt (remember the corned beef will be salty so go easy on the salt) and saute until the onions start to soften then add the garlic and onion powder and the thyme. Continue to cook to combine and reserve.  You can drain and dry the potatoes then you can either deep fry or pan fry in the skillet until browned then reserve.

  With the remaining oil and butter cook the ground mixture in a skillet until the potatoes are cooked then add the rest of the corned beef mixture and combine. Mix in the potatoes and press down and brown on both sides. I like to shape the hash in a egg mold and serve topped with a poached egg and fresh parsley. 

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Dice potatoes Dice corned beef Saute onions, corned beef and spices Grind some of the potatoes, beef and onion Mixture should be well ground Brown Potatoes and reserve Play Pause