Corned Beef Hash
The following is an article that appeared on October 23, 2002, in the
food section of the Washington Post by Edwad Schneider. His recipe for
corned beef hash is very good.
There used to be a kosher-style (i.e., non-kosher)
delicatessen a block from our apartment. This meant that corned beef and
pastrami were once a 45-second walk away from our front door. About ten or a
dozen years ago it was replaced by a photocopying shop and now all we see
through the window is ream after ream of paper made from grove after grove of
trees. Mind you, these days the difference can sometimes be hard to detect: fat
phobia too often renders these once-succulent meats sawdust-dry, made of
excessively lean cuts to begin with and then, to add insult to injury, trimmed
of virtually all the external fat that would at least have provided the illusion
of lusciousness. It isn't clear to me what kind of phobia engenders the
blandness that also afflicts a great deal of 21st-century corned beef, but
somebody's obviously afraid of something, because a lot of this stuff barely
tastes of the water it was cooked in.
Even in what passes for a great deli, ordering a corned beef
on rye can be like spinning the wheel of fortune, though admittedly the odds of
getting a good sandwich are slightly better than those of hitting the jackpot at
the county fair. Still, like a compulsive gambler, I keep doing it (ordering
corned beef sandwiches that is). Sometimes I win, and wolf down the entire
sandwich, irrespective of its size -- they can weigh a pound in some delis. But
more often the house's built-in advantage kicks in, and the best I can do is eat
a few desiccated bites, chomp on a couple of pickles (still reliably good) and
ask for the check -- and a doggie bag.
Why bother with a doggie bag when the corned beef isn't any
good? Because even mediocre corned beef can be turned into a delicious corned
beef hash, that's why. If the meat is dry, there'll be plenty of moisture and a
bit of oil from the sauteed onions and peppers; if it's bland, you're in control
of the salt and pepper -- plus, there are those tasty onions and peppers again.
(On the other hand, it need hardly be said that excellent corned beef will make
your hash even better.)
And what a wonderful thing hash is. I would occasionally
have breakfast at that same defunct neighborhood deli, and most of the time
that's what I'd order. The football-shaped mound of crisp hash would come
centered on one of those inevitable deli plates: white, thick and also more or
less football-shaped, its glaze crackled by years of -- well, years of
hash-slinging. It would be topped with two poached eggs and sauced from the also
inevitable ketchup bottle. A good hash -- and this was a good hash -- is
simultaneously crisp and steamy-soft. It is a potato experience; it is a meat
experience; it is an onion experience; it is a poached egg experience. It is an
integrated dish, but at the same time you can pick out bites of whichever
constituent part tickles your fancy. Yet it seems that no one has written a
sonnet in praise of corned beef hash. Or even a limerick. Not until today,
anyway:
There was a young man from Mount Ash
Who found himself lacking in cash.
He took yesterday's lunch,
Added peppers for crunch,
And fried it all up into hash.
Enough of that. Let's move right along to the recipe. Note
that the proportions given below are by no means sacrosanct, though they
represent my ideal. If you are using doggie-bag corned beef (or indeed a mixture
of corned beef and pastrami), you will probably not have exactly one pound of
meat. It doesn't matter; 3/4 pound is enough too, though 11/2 pounds would be
too much. Half a potato more or less won't spoil the dish either.
Note also that another great dish -- roast beef hash -- can
be put together on exactly the same principles. This is best made from the
well-done meat around and between the bones of a rib roast, supplemented by
trimmings from the deckle: the thin layer of meat that lies on top of the rib
roast, which also tends to get well done even if you take care to roast your
beef to medium-rare. Both of these are relatively fibrous, and ideally should be
shredded rather than chopped when made into hash (this is true of the corned
beef as well -- see recipe). Roast beef hash too can be served with a poached
egg or two. It is surprisingly good with hollandaise sauce, though ketchup
remains a viable option.
Corned Beef Hash
(3 to 5 main-course servings)
Depending on whether or not it is eaten with poached eggs,
the hash can easily be stretched to serve 6 as a breakfast dish by topping each
serving with 1 to 2 eggs.
Keep in mind that the best hash with the best texture is
made with shredded, not chopped, beef. It's also served with warmed, not cold,
ketchup.
1 1/2 pounds (about 4 medium) russet (Idaho) potatoes
2 medium onions (8 to 10 ounces total)
1 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional to taste
1 pound cooked corned beef (see instructions)
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Warmed ketchup (optional)
Poached eggs (optional)
1. Wash but do not peel the potatoes.
Cook the potatoes until tender when pierced with a
thin-bladed knife, either in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 1 hour or in
the microwave on high power. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, cut
the potato in half lengthwise and use a big spoon to scoop out the flesh, in
odd-size chunks. Discard the peels; place the potato chunks in a large bowl.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, cut the onions and bell
pepper into slices about 1/4 inch wide.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a 10-inch
skillet, preferably nonstick. When the oil is hot, add the onions, bell pepper
and about 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low
and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are fairly tender, 12 to 15
minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the potatoes; set aside to cool for a few
minutes. Do not wash the skillet; you will need it to cook the hash.
3. If you are making your hash from leftover meat, cut it
into strips about 1/2 inch wide. But the very best hash with the very best
texture is made with shredded beef, so if you cook your own or buy it in a piece
rather than sliced, cut it across the grain into slices about 1 inch wide, then
use your fingers to pull the beef apart into shreds. (This is easier if the meat
is not too cold.)
4. Add the corned beef and the parsley to the potato mixture
along with some salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Use your hands to
combine the ingredients, squeezing to mash some of the potatoes; there should be
a variety of potato textures, ranging from a puree (which will help hold the
hash together) to chunks of different sizes. Taste and adjust the seasoning
accordingly.
5. Return the skillet to medium-low heat and warm the
remaining 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, scoop the hash mixture into the
skillet and, using the back of a wooden spoon or a spatula, tamp down the
mixture to compact it and even the top. Cook for at least 20 minutes, until nice
and brown.
6. Now, you must turn it. Wearing oven mitts, first take a
rubber or flexible metal spatula and slide it between the hash and the skillet
to make sure that none of the hash is sticking to the pan. Place a plate or an
upside-down pan lid next to the edge of the skillet and, working quickly and
deftly, slide the hash out of the skillet and onto the flat surface in a single
movement. Invert the skillet over the hash and flip the hash over. The crusty
side should now be on top. Return the skillet to medium-low heat and cook until
crisp and brown on the second side, about 20 minutes.
Slide the hash onto a serving platter. (An alternative
approach is, after the first 20 minutes of browning, to break up the hash and
mix the crusty parts with the non-crusty parts, then to repeat this after 10
minutes, finally leaving it undisturbed until the bottom crust is brown again.
This results in extra crispness with the bonus of not having to flip the hash.)
7. To serve, cut the hash into wedges. Note that the wedges
will not necessarily hold together like perfect Wayne Thiebaud slices of cake.
If you like, serve with warmed ketchup and top with one or two softly poached
eggs per person.
Roast Beef Hash: Follow the corned beef hash recipe, using
the shredded, well-done meat from around and between the bones of a rib roast,
supplemented by trimmings from the deckle: the thin layer of meat that lies on
top of the rib roast, which also tends to get well done even if you take care to
roast your beef to medium-rare. Add 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika to the onions and peppers as they cook, and
supplement the parsley with 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves.