Corned Beef Hash Recipe

If you want to know what comfort food looks like, look no farther than corned beef hash. "This recipe is very dear to my heart as my mother used to cook this quite a lot when I was younger," says chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge. "It is really easy to make, it is delicious and very reminiscent of my childhood."

Serve this dish to your own family a few times, and it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll be creating some nostalgic meal moments yourself. Add in some rolls, fresh fruit, and maybe a few rashers of bacon and a family favorite meal is born.

Because this corned beef hash is made primarily with kitchen staples like eggs, potatoes, onions and spices and with a few shelf stable ingredients, like a can of beans and a can of corned beef, you can be prepared to make this meal at all times. At what time, per say, is the hash best enjoyed? "This serves well as a breakfast or a brunch," says Olayinka, but of course, there's never a bad time for a great, hearty meal.

But first, let's answer that burning question: what's the deal with the name?

Contrary to common misconception, corned beef does not get its name from a corn diet fed to the cattle used to produce it. According to Food & Wine, "the word 'corn' came from the Germanic word 'kurnam,' meaning 'small seed.'" And in the 1600s, "salted beef started taking on the name 'corned beef' in some parts of England because of the large 'kernels' of rock salt used to preserve [it]."

So, the "corned" is more to do with the salt and nothing to do with corn. This may be confusing, but you probably won't be thinking about it when you taste this hash.

To make this delectable dish, you'll need four cups of cube-cut (half-inch per side) potatoes (two or three medium yellow potatoes should do), a can of corned beef, a chopped white onion, a vegetable stock cube, half a tablespoon of paprika, half a tablespoon of onion powder, half a tablespoon of garlic powder, one egg, one-fourth cup of vegetable oil, and half a cup of baked beans. 

And don't worry if you're not a baked bean fan, or if you just don't have any: "The beans can definitely be replaced by any similar bean," says Olayinka. "For example, kidney beans, chickpeas, black eyed beans, black beans, or even lentils."

Add oil to a large skillet (or a Dutch oven) and put it on the stove on medium heat. Once the oil has warmed, fry the onion, stirring regularly for about 1 minute, until the onion begins to grow fragrant and translucent.

Then, add the cubed potatoes to the pan and continue to fry on medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly and cooking until the potatoes have evenly turned brown. Note that they will still be semi hard. Add a pinch a salt to the pan and stir everything around a few more times. Do make sure to keep the heat to medium during this step — not low.

"One mistake to avoid is to make sure that your potatoes will not be overcooked," says Olayinka. "Be sure to crisp them up beforehand by frying them like the recipe says and do not leave them to overcook in the pan as it will result in mashed potatoes."

Add the corned beef to the pan, break it up with a wooden spoon or a spatula, and stir everything around. Then, turn the burner down to low heat. Remember, the meat is already cooked, so there shouldn't be any safety issue here.

Once you've broken up and mixed in the corned beef, add the spices — meaning the paprika, onion powder, garlic, and crushed vegetable bouillon cube — and stir everything together well to combine. 

Now, reduce the heat to near its lowest setting just to keep the meat and potatoes warm as you finish up.

In a separate pan, fry an egg. You can cook it how you prefer, of course, but a yolk that's at least a bit runny is ideal here, as it will suffuse the dish nicely. And if you want to add even more flavor (and protein), fry two or three eggs.

Add the cooked egg(s) to the top of the corned beef hash and keep it warming at that low simmer heat. Meanwhile, heat the baked beans and then spoon those out on top of the corned beef hash.

The dish is now ready to enjoy, and enjoy thoroughly you will!