Best Roast Beef Hash Recipe

Roast beef makes for a delicious dinner on its own. You could argue, though, that roast beef really shines the next morning as an unexpected but welcome addition to your breakfast. Because last night's roast can enjoy a second life as this morning's roast beef hash. All you really need is an egg and some potatoes, and you can whip up a pretty delicious, hearty, loaded breakfast that will start your day off right.

What practically ensures this recipe will become a kitchen favorite is how well it uses up leftovers, reusing an amazing meal to make another scrumptious meal that delivers good variety great taste. In this roast beef hash recipe, creator Michelle McGlinn has managed to blend so many flavors so well. As a matter of fact, some might even argue that the beef leftovers are better than the original meal that was served. And while it makes an amazing breakfast dish, this combo of potatoes, beef, eggs, peppers, and onions actually tastes amazing any time of day, for any meal. As McGlinn puts it, "Definitely a breakfast hash, but you can certainly eat it anytime, if desired." And with all these flavors, it's a definite winner no matter when you serve it, so let's get cooking ASAP.

First off, you'll want to gather all of your ingredients. The star of the show is, of course, the leftover roast beef, which you'll cut into ½-inch cubes, in addition to reserving ¼ cup of the drippings. You'll also need to round up two russet potatoes, an onion, colorful bell peppers, minced garlic, all-purpose flour, beef broth, and salt and pepper to taste. That's it! Having your ingredients lined up and ready to go on the counter will make the prep work a total breeze. Then, you can officially get started preparing your roast beef hash.

Now that you have your ingredients all together, it's time to get started putting together this delicious recipe. Your first step is to warm up a lightly oiled, deep skillet over medium heat. You should make sure the skillet bottom is well-coated to let them cook properly. Then, add in the diced potatoes and cook them, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft and begin to turn crispy and brown on the outside. They should look and feel similar to home fries. If the potatoes are starting to stick to the skillet, add more oil, one drizzle at a time. You don't want them too oily, because these crispy potatoes really form the base of this recipe. A perfect potato mixture will drive home the flavors and textures of the meat. You're off to a great start, and this meal will be done in no time!

After about 10 minutes ,the potatoes should be soft and begin to crisp. Make sure you don't cook them too long, or they may burn and turn hard. Next, you're going to add in the diced onion and bell peppers. While McGlinn uses different types of peppers in this recipe, she notes, "You can always use just one color of bell pepper." This is your chance to be creative, though, by adding some color and peppery flavors to the dish. Stir the mixture to combine well so the potatoes, onions, and peppers form one multi-textured, multi-colored veggie jumble. Cook the mixture until vegetables are soft, which should only take about five minutes.

Now, it's time to work with the beef. The night before, the roast and its drippings should be put into the refrigerator overnight. In this recipe, McGlinn uses a leftover chuck shoulder she cooked up the night before with garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. While chuck roast is easiest, you could also use top round, top sirloin, bottom round, or eye of round. Theoretically, this recipe can be prepared with any type of beef roast, but these would be best for this recipe. 

You should take the beef out of the fridge, and let it warm up to room temperature to soften the drippings and the meat before cubing it. Now that the vegetables are soft and the potatoes are crisp, it's time to add the cubed beef. Once it's all together in the skillet, stir nicely to combine.

Allow the meat to heat through within the mixture for about five minutes. Since it was already cooked, you don't want to overcook it — you're just basically heating it up. Next, you want to add the garlic, and mix it well. Finally, sprinkle in the salt and pepper to taste. You can't blend this enough — by the time you're done, it should be a potpourri of meat, potatoes, herbs, and vegetables. Keep cooking and stirring until the garlic is fragrant, about two minutes, and the mixture is well combined. 

Now, it's time to remove the skillet from the heat. You're almost there, and will most likely be salivating from the delectable aromas that are filling up your kitchen.

While the skillet is cooking, it's the perfect time to prepare the gravy. Before cooking, you should have allowed the beef drippings from the beef roast to warm up to room temperature and soften. As McGlinn explains, "The drippings are what drips off of the roast while it is in the oven. It's a mixture of grease and fats, which happens to be the perfect base for the roux used to make gravy. If you didn't plan to use this recipe and already discarded the drippings, you can use an equal amount of butter to make the roux — it just won't be the same rich flavor." What's tastier than a greasy, fatty beef gravy?

Add the reserved beef drippings and flour to a small saucepan over medium heat, and whisk well. Once the mixture is a paste, add the beef broth, and whisk to combine well. Simmer it over medium-low heat until thickened into a gravy, which should take about five minutes. If the gravy's too thin, add more flour ½ teaspoon at a time until it reaches the desired thickness.

Once the gravy and the meat-vegetable mixture is ready, you can pour gravy over the heart of the recipe cooling in the skillet. In another pan, cook up your eggs. Plan on cooking at least one egg per plate that you're serving. This recipe serves four people, and you can cook the eggs to preference. When the eggs are ready, fill each plate with the skillet and gravy mixture, then plop an egg next to it. Again, remember that this is a heavy big meal, so don't put too much on each plate. Tear off fresh parsley, and sprinkle over the whole plate for a really appetizing presentation. Then, it's time to dig in, and start the day with one pretty mouthwatering meal.