Whos Corned Beef Hash??
One of my fondest memories was the tin that the corned beef came in. It had a ‘key’ at the side which you turned around to open! I’m amazed to find that this is still the design!
Most people at some point or another has had a corned beef hash. If you are around the same age as me.. or older, it was something that my mum made on occasion. I have recently re-discovered this underrated delight! – the bonus is the kids love it too….
I’m not sure why we’ve never had it much in the past. Perhaps it was something that I thought wasn’t particularly healthy. I don’t know. Either way, it’s become a bit of a weekly staple on a Monday night we all sit down for dinner together.
Jemma and I have had disagreements about whose family recipe is the best. Both our parents cooked it in a different way. Hers was more of a mash with the corned beef and veggie mixed in. My mums was a chunky mix of veggies and potatoes with the corned beef mixed in. I’m not sure if my mums ever had cheese on the top, but I thought it would be ace baked in the oven, so that’s my version. Either way, there is no denying that it is a decent comfort meal with a dollop of ketchup on the side
I usually take it to another level with a fried egg on top!
Recipe – Whos Corned Beef Hash?
Serves 3 people or 2 adults and 2 kids
1 tin corned beef (340g) – cubed
600g Potatoes, cubed
75g carrots peeled and cubed
60g grated cheddar cheese
150g peas
1 onion – roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
0.5 tablespoon of olive oil
Fried Egg (Optional)
Notes:
Where I’ve said cubed – this is optional – it looks nice ,but roughly chopped is as good, if you cannot be bothered!
This is a brilliant one-pan dish if you have a large frying pan that you can pop in the oven
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180° (fan)
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Chuck in the potatoes and carrot for 5-7 mins or until they are just getting soft. Be careful not to overcook them, this is only to get them started
3. While those are cooking. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan if you are doing a one-pan thing or a standard one if not. Fry the onion off until they are just browning, then chuck the garlic in and fry for a further minute.
4. Drain the potatoes and carrots off. Leave for a minute for a little of the moisture to evaporate then thrown them into the pan with the onions. Fry these on a high heat until the potatoes start to brown. Tip: Don’t move the pan too much so that you get some nice brown bit – this is the flavour!
5. Next, add the corned beef to the pan. Continue to fry for another 5 mins or so, enough for the beef to soften up and catch a little bit of colour. Try not to mix it too much otherwise, the corned beef will fall apart. Season with salt and pepper and add a dash of Worcestershire sauce
6. At this point you could definitely eat the dish – try not to! Transfer into an ovenproof dish or leave in the pan and then sprinkle over the cheese.
7. Bake in the oven until the cheese is golden. If you’re pushed for time then stick it under the grill
8. Dish it up. While it’s cooling for those little mouths I usually take the opportunity to fry that egg to pop on the top!
This is a great dish to make in advance so that it’s ready to pop in the oven. If made in advance all you will need to do is pop it into a preheated oven at 180° for 30-40 mins.
