Christmas Corned Beef Hash

Alternatively: Hanukkah Corned Beef Hash

This is a one-pound slab of corned beef from the deli counter at ShopRite:

I have a go-to meal at diners: chocolate chip pancakes and corned beef hash. Yes, it’s heavy on the carbs, light on nutrients, and very much in line with the diet of a 75-year old retiree whose Type II diabetes is barely in check, but it’s also delicious!

While I am not recommending that you follow my questionable nutritional choices, I am recommending that you try some hash this holiday season. It's severely underrated, and, in my opinion, a much better breakfast side than home fries or sausage.¹

The point is, I decided to make some in preparation for Christmas breakfast,² and I thought I’d take you all along for the ride! First, the ingredients:

• One pound of corned beef, cubed

• Two large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed³

• One sweet onion, diced

• Four tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Step 1: Boil those potatoes! Drop them all in a pot, add water until the taters are just barely covered, and let the stove rip. Once it starts boiling, lower the temperature and cook for about five minutes. You want the potatoes to be soft, but not mashable. After that, drain well.

Step 2: Melt that butter! Make sure you use the largest saucepan at your disposal. You want to be able to make the hash as thin as possible while sauteeing, which requires a maximized surface area. I was foolish and used a smaller saucepan, which seems to have extended the cooking time.

Step 3: Add the potatoes and onion, along with the salt and pepper. You’re going to be cooking for about ten minutes, until the onions and potatoes start to brown. Make sure that you’re doing this on medium - I let the pan get too hot, which resulted in some burnt butter and a potato crust along the bottom of the pan. Stir frequently, and don’t be afraid to remove the pan from heat for a moment if you’re seeing smoke.

Step 4: After the onions and potatoes have cooked, add the corned beef, onion powder, and garlic powder. Some people like to shred their corned beef or cut them into smaller chunks. That’s totally up to you - I’m not sure if there’s a style that’s actually considered standard.

Step 5: Mix it all together, still over medium heat. Things should be smelling pretty good at this point! Keep in mind that the corned beef is already fully cooked - this is a matter of heating it up and mixing the flavors.

Step 6: Use a spatula to press down on the mixed hash. After about five minutes, a crust should start to form along the bottom, and the hash should be flipped.

Note: this was not my experience. Part of the issue may have been the thickness created by the smaller saucepan. The burnt butter on the bottom may have been problematic, too. Either way, I tried flipping the thing once or twice and wasn’t getting anywhere crust-wise.

Since this needs to be reheated for breakfast, my new plan is to complete this last step on our little griddle, where I can have more control over the temperature. I’ll heat up smaller portions at a time and, hopefully, become a crust master.

Step 7: Admit defeat, wrap the hash up, and store it in preparation for griddling.

For what it’s worth, this dish is already delicious, and part of the reason I stored it like this was to stop myself from eating it.⁴ Look forward to an edit tomorrow afternoon, where I either successfully achieve that elusive crust or document my abject failure!

Either way, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Happy hashing!

Step 8: Fry her up. I just put on a little more unsalted butter and heated it at about 350F.

WE GOT THAT GOLDEN BROWN CRUST!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.

1. Not going to get controversial and suggest that this beats out bacon, but I’d certainly be open to the conversation.

2. As much as I’d like to refer to it as “Christmukkah breakfast”, Hanukkah doesn’t start until sundown.

3. The goal is to have about equal amounts of potatoes and corned beef. Once you dice your corned beef, measure it by volume, and dice potatoes until you have about the same amount

4. Sophia can attest to its addictive nature.