Tips For Making The Best Corned Beef Hash Ever
Hash is a one-dish meal of fried meat, potatoes, and vegetables that is popular in many world cuisines. An easy way to use up any leftovers on hand, hash is comforting and yummy at any meal, though many of us love it as a hearty, protein-packed breakfast served with eggs. Hash and eggs have long been considered a home remedy for a hangover, though there are exceptions: the Armenian recipe for beef hash might make you watch your alcohol intake the next time you go out.
Hash can technically be made from any meat, but corned beef is the most common type in American kitchens. Corned beef is brisket, rump, or tongue brined with salt and spices and braised for hours, a traditional method use to turn tough cuts tender. While meat, potatoes, and onions are conventional ingredients in a hash, there are many add-ins to increase flavor and nutrition. Intrigued? Here's how to take corned beef hash to the next level.
Make it from scratch
If "corned beef hash" makes you think about feeding your beloved pet, we bet you've only had hash that comes out of a can. Don't get us wrong; canned hash makes for a quick, easy meal and is useful for camping trips and in the pantry in case of power failures. A genuinely exceptional hash, however, is usually made from scratch.
Making corned beef yourself allows you to customize the spices and reduce the meat's saltiness by rinsing it after brining. Whether you make corned beef for another meal and use the leftovers for hash or want a whole lot of hash, you're in for a treat. You can freeze hash, too, giving you healthful, homemade convenience food without a can opener.
Making corned beef hash is as simple as cubing the meat with potatoes, onions, and any veggies you like, then frying it up to crisp, golden goodness. Whether you want it with eggs, a side salad, Irish soda bread, or just all by itself, the corned beef hash you've made yourself is an entirely different experience from hash in a can.
Add potatoes and onions to canned hash
Canned corned beef hash has plenty of fat, calories, and sodium and some find the texture less than desirable, but there's no denying the convenience of opening a can. While you can get reduced-sodium varieties, everyone should watch their sodium intake. Since processed foods account for an estimated 75% of salt consumed in our daily diets (via Healthline), making hash at home is potentially healthier.
Yet one can of hash doesn't go far if you're trying to feed a family. By spending a few minutes chopping an onion and a few potatoes, you get the best of both worlds. Fresh ingredients added to canned hash makes more food while also helping cut fat and sodium (so long as you don't add more salt, of course). This semi-homemade hash will be heartier and more flavorful, perfect for any meal.
Chop the potatoes into small chunks and fry them in a cast iron skillet till golden. Once they're browned, pour a small amount of water over them and cover the skillet. The water steams the potatoes as it evaporates, ensuring perfectly cooked potatoes in less time than frying alone. Add the onions and cook till translucent before adding the canned hash, spreading it over the bottom of the pan. Once everything crisps up, you'll have the perfect pan of corned beef hash without the effort of making it from scratch.
Use better potatoes
Potatoes might be more critical to hash than the titular corned beef, but it's important to consider the many types of potato that could elevate your hash. Everyone knows potatoes are starchy, but the ratio of starch to water in a particular variety of potato is key. Waxy potatoes have more water and less starch and are suitable for frying because they don't break up in the pan. Starchy potatoes make great mashed potatoes because they have a fluffier texture. All-purpose potatoes have a balanced ratio of water to starch. A selective cook might choose a specific variety to achieve unparalleled results.
Yukon Gold potatoes are ideal for corned beef hash because they fry without breaking down and have rich, buttery flavor. Bonus – their bright yellow interior contrasts beautifully with corned beef. Red potatoes are also perfect for corned beef hash. Their waxier texture will fry up crisp and golden without falling apart. Both varieties have thin skin that doesn't need to be peeled, which makes for faster preparation and adds nutrients to the dish.
Don't forget vegetables
We all know that veggies are good for us, as they give us vital nutrients, fiber, and disease protection. A simple way to eat more produce is to include at least one serving of fruits and vegetables. A cup of leafy greens or a half cup of other vegetables (raw or cooked) doesn't look like much on your plate, but it can be incorporated into almost any meal for a serious impact.
When it comes to corned beef hash, adding veggies is terrific for your health and makes your dish tastier and more colorful. Need inspiration? Red flannel hash, so named for its color, contains beets and is said to be named for the red and black checked flannel shirts loggers wore while enjoying this breakfast (via Taste Atlas). Hash is also delicious when it's made with spinach, collards, or kale, which provide plenty of nutrients (via Healthline). Sauté them with the other ingredients, or get fancy and make kale salsa for hash like this one created for the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition.
Experiment with any vegetables you enjoy, like the Redditor who created an overstuffed hash and egg sandwich with onions, mushrooms, and peppers. While traditional corned beef hash loses some nutrition points, adding veggies helps lighten it up.
Serve with poached eggs
Many folks eat fried eggs with hash. Whether you like them sunnyside up or over easy, fried in olive oil or heavy cream, fried eggs define breakfast for many diners have served corned beef hash with fried eggs for decades. However, poached eggs are the way to go if you want a rich, creamy egg to top your hash.
Poached eggs are simmered gently and stay soft and delicate, with gorgeous runny yolks as a sauce for the crispy hash. The contrasting mouthfeel between the tender poached egg and the crunch of the hash elevates your breakfast far past rubbery fried eggs.
How to poach eggs? Adding salt or vinegar to the poaching water is one method, though it can sometimes make your eggs taste funny if you overdo it. You might poach eggs in wine or broth or keep the eggs in shape by stirring simmering water into a vortex. Julia Child advocated a pinhole in the eggshell and boiling for 10 seconds before cracking the egg (via HuffPost).
Experiment with spices
Anyone that regularly orders corned beef hash at a diner or opens a can is used to hash that tastes salty from the corned beef, possibly with some black pepper sprinkled on top. But why not take your breakfast to the next level by adding other spices to your hash?. Not only do herbs and spices enhance flavor, but they also provide antioxidants and other health benefits.
You can keep it simple and add garlic, onion powder, and paprika, which will lift the flavor in a crowd-pleasing way. Or add some heat with cayenne, crushed red pepper, or chiles. For a bright, herbal flavor, you can't go wrong with fresh chives, parsley, and some lemon zest sprinkled on top before serving. Fresh rosemary and marjoram add savory flavor, too. Whichever herbs or spices you choose will take corned beef hash from everyday to the extraordinary and will make you dream up new ways to include hash in all your meal plans.
Start with cooked potatoes
Perfect hash is golden brown with a crisp crunch, but the potatoes can be a hurdle if you don't take care. All the other ingredients in the hash are fully cooked or quickly fried, but potatoes can end up burnt or with a weird crunch if poorly cooked. Your corned beef hash deserves the fluffy insides and the glorious crust of excellent fried potatoes. Getting there isn't as hard as you think.
The easiest potatoes to use for a hash are leftovers. If you have leftover roasties or baked potatoes lurking in your fridge, chop them up and pan-fry with the other ingredients for a divine breakfast that will cook in minutes.
No leftovers? Never fear! Great hash is as easy as boiling water. Boil a small pot of water while you peel the potatoes and dice them into small pieces. You only need to parboil (or partially cook) the potatoes for just a few minutes. Try fluffing potatoes by shaking drained potatoes in the pan, stirring them around, or following the trend on TikTok and let salt and baking soda fluff them for you (via @thatdudecancook on TikTok).
Fry with butter
Butter is often vilified because animal fats are less healthy than vegetable fats. The standard advice is to use heart-healthy oils like olive or canola, and we agree that this is sound advice. However, remember that butter isn't the enemy, so long as it's used in moderation. Frying with butter makes a big difference in flavor and crispiness. Potatoes cooked this way are golden perfection. Plus, using butter to fry corned beef hash will give you an excellent crust on those spuds.
That said, butter has a lower smoke point than oil, so keep a few tips in mind. Andrew Zimmern advises using medium heat and waiting till the large bubbles disappear before you add food to the pan. Those bubbles are water evaporating out of the butter, so when the butter is foamy, it's less waterlogged and the food will fry properly. Livestrong notes that you can also combine butter with oil so you can achieve buttery flavor without so much worry over scorching the milk solids. You can also use clarified butter or ghee, which don't have those milk solids and will behave like oil. No matter which way you fry with butter, your corned beef hash will be delectable.
Use St. Patrick's Day leftovers
We all need to rethink our habits from time to time. If corned beef hash is defined as corned beef, potatoes, and onions, you might be taking leftover corned beef from your St. Patty's Day celebration and using it in hash, but then tossing the boiled veggies But why?
This meal of corned beef and boiled veggies originated centuries ago when food was a different ballgame, as per Stir and Taste. Ordinary folks didn't use many spices and needed hearty food to fuel long days of hard work — this meal fit the bill. Irish immigrants brought boiled dinner to America in the late 18th century. But a historic pedigree doesn't mean you can't mix things up a bit. Using the leftovers from an Irish-inspired St. Patrick's Day meal, including cabbage, potatoes, and other veggies, will make your hash more colorful, healthy, and delicious.
One thing to remember when making hash with boiled dinner leftovers is that too much moisture hampers crispiness. Since boiled dinner is, well, boiled, getting as much liquid out of the meat and veggies as possible is essential. One Redditor suggested smashing ingredients flat, using higher heat, and putting the cast iron skillet into the oven to finish the dish. Watch carefully so the hash develops a crust and doesn't burn. You'll enjoy knowing you're getting a healthier meal and not wasting food when it's done.
Prep work is key
No matter which recipe you use for corned beef hash, there's a fair bit of prep work involved, from scrubbing and peeling potatoes to chopping individual ingredients like the corned beef, onions, or any veggies you may add to enhance the dish. Some cooks are willing to start ingredients frying as they prepare others, but for great corned beef hash, you might want to get a mise en place going.
Mise en place means having each recipe element ready before cooking commences. If you've ever watched a cooking show, you've seen mise en place in action as the chef dumps pre-measured flour from a bowl on the counter rather than walking to the pantry for a bag, or has herbs chopped and ready to go. Taking the time to prepare ingredients before cooking allows you to focus on cooking without getting distracted by other tasks.
Although the individual ingredients in corned beef hash need prep work, it doesn't take very long to cook, so careful attention during the process is important. If you're after hash with a perfect golden crust, get your ingredients all measured up first so you can keep an eye on the pan when it's go time.
Go British and add beans
Have you heard of a full English breakfast? It's a massive meal with eggs, bacon, toast, sausages, and baked beans. The Brits love beans on anything, at any time of day, and baked beans spooned on top of corned beef hash is no exception. Even if you're not obsessed with eating as they do across the pond, beans are great for your health and are another way to boost the nutritional profile of corned beef hash.
Beans are full of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals but are low in fat (via WebMD). They're filling and a good source of iron and folate, too. If saucy baked beans with your hash don't sound appealing, substitute any bean you like. Plain beans add fewer calories to the dish. Add the beans to the hash when it is almost finished cooking to minimize the possibility of smashing them.
If baked beans with corned beef hash sound like a treat, it's easy to make baked beans in a slow cooker. Even with a long ingredient list, it's a simple matter of stirring everything together and letting the cooker do all the work.
Bring sweet potatoes to the table
While sweet potatoes tend to be high or low on many people's lists, there's no doubt that they offer a different taste, texture, and nutrition profile than the humble all-purpose potato. This isn't to say that regular potatoes aren't healthy as they certainly can be, according to UC Davis Health. But when it comes to taste, in the case of practically every potato, preparation is what matters most.
Both sweet and regular potatoes have fiber, calcium, and vitamin C, as per Medical Daily. Although standard sweet potatoes clobber white sweet potatoes when it comes to vitamin A content, white sweet potatoes provide more protein and potassium, along with less sugar.
Your preference for white or sweet potatoes may vary based on taste or dietary concerns, but we think sweet potato hash is a treat. If the creamy texture of cooked sweet potatoes puts you off using them in corned beef hash, look for white sweet potatoes, often used for sweet potato fries. As per HuffPost, they have a firmer texture than typical sweet potatoes. You can also use leftover roasted sweet potatoes to take advantage of already-crisped sweeties. Add heat to sweet potato corned beef hash for a sweet-spicy combo everyone will love, or play up that sweetness by adding cinnamon and allspice to the mix, with a bit of maple syrup before serving.
Don't forget cheese
There's a reason cheese is the star ingredient in so many comfort foods: it's absolutely fabulous. Whether you love grilled cheese sandwiches with soup, a bubbly crock of mac and cheese, or a charcuterie board served in front of a fireplace, cheese is life for many of us. With so many vegan cheese substitutes on the market, too, it's clear that everyone can enjoy cheesy goodness whenever the mood strikes. Hash is no exception.
If you thought salt, fat content, or heavenly meltability was why most of us constantly crave cheese, well, that's part of it. Cheese also has amino acids that trigger a dopamine response and evoke feelings similar to being in love, even mimicking drug-induced euphoria. Don't raise the alarm, though, as Healthline assures us that cheese consumption is not harmful so long as it's in moderation.
Cheese melted over hash could be called extravagant, but trust us that you'll love it. Use any cheese that you have on hand or one that complements the spices or vegetables in the hash. Whether you love goat cheese, mozzarella, or cheddar, the gooey goodness of your corned beef hash will skyrocket when you add a bit of dairy to the mix.
Be aware of salt
When it comes to hash, we know that corned beef contains plenty of salt, but you can solve that problem. If your hash or meat is canned, choose a low-sodium variety. If you're using commercially-prepared corned beef, rinse the meat and soak it in cold water for several hours before making hash (via Cookindocs). Better yet, buy brisket and brine the meat yourself. This does take planning since the meat should brine for five days, as per Cook's Illustrated. Yet it's simple to do, and if you rinse the meat before making hash, you'll find it less salty than canned or supermarket corned beef.
Seasoning as you go is the proper way to ensure a balanced salt profile. Tasting the hash for saltiness at different stages ensures the finished product is just right. Adding a bit of salt at the start of cooking allows it to permeate the food, while adding it at the end allows the flavor to be more prominent. Adding salt in layers gives a dish the most flavor without allowing it to overpower the dish.
Try experimenting with different varieties of salt for next-level corned beef hash, like smoked salt, lava salt, flavored blends, or larger-grained salts. Just a tiny pinch of a specialty variety could make a big difference.