Corned Beef Three Different Ways
Hola, hi! The day after St. Patrick’s Day means we have left over corned beef in the fridge. Corned beef isn’t a cut of meat I cook with very often. In fact, I think I only make it on St. Patrick’s Day out of tradition, which is silly because it lends itself to so many different recipes. The Payaso and I enjoyed a nice corned beef with boiled potatoes and carrots for dinner, corn beef hash with over easy eggs for breakfast, and Reuben sandwiches for lunch.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Ingredients:
- 4 pound corned beef brisket with spice packet
- 1 bag of small boiling potatoes
- 1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
- 3-4 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 4 cups of water
Directions:
- Place cut carrots, onions and potatoes into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Remove corned beef brisket from package and pat dry; place on top of carrots and onions.
- Add 4 cups of water to cover corned beef by three quarters; add spice packet to the top of the corn beef.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for at least 8 hours.
- Note: Cut corned beef against the grain of the meat when ready to serve.
It’s that simple, folks. These are exactly the kinds of meals the Payaso and I love because they are simple and easy, and each produces a top notch dinner for the two of us. Now, I will say that I tried to get fancy with the recipe and I added a stout-like beer to the slow cooker, but the truth is we couldn’t even taste it. Save your money, and just use good ole fashioned water in the recipe. Okay, I have another confession, I was so excited about taking a picture for the blog that I forgot to add the memory card to the camera. Doh! Seriously, what the heck was I thinking? Oh yeah, corned beef! All I did to plate this dinner was I sliced some corned beef, smashed the boiled potatoes and added some carrots to the plate. There really wasn’t much by way of pomp and circumstance, and it wasn’t needed. Absolutely delicious. Here’s what we had left of the slow cooker treasures after our dinner.
What better way to use up potatoes and corned beef than to make a hash? I absolutely adore corned beef hash. At 15, I remember working my very first job where they served corned beef hash in the weekend buffet. Granted it was from what was likely a 15 pound can, but I loved it nonetheless. I especially loved when it would get crispy and a little burnt from sitting in the buffet for too long. Yum, yum and yum! Years later, when I lived in San Francisco, I have great memories of going to a restaurant named Sally’s many a weekend, where they had, in my opinion, the best corned beef hash in all of San Francisco. The restaurant was situated on the San Francisco Bay, and the restaurant was cafeteria style, which just added to the breakfast experience. Note to self: take the Payaso to Sally’s Restaurant the next time we’re in SF. Now I’m not sure if this morning’s corned beef hash could rival Sally’s, but it’d put up a great fight. Here’s how I made it…
Corned Beef Hash
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound cooked corned beef
- 10-12 boiled small potatoes
- 1-2 cooked carrots
- 1/2 saute onion
- 2-3 tablespoons oil and butter
Directions:
- Cut corned beef into bite size pieces. Also chop up potatoes and carrots to similar sizes.
- Add corned beef, potatoes and vegetables to large skillet.
- Add oil and butter. Season with fresh black pepper
- Cook on medium high heat until ingredients have nice caramelization (about 30 minutes). Add more oil if needed.
- Top with fried or poached eggs.
One of my favorite chefs, Anne Burrell, always says, “brown food tastes good,” and that really applies when it comes to making hash. You have to let the meat and potatoes take their time in getting some nice brown spots on them. It’s time for me to tell you all that you really can use anything you have in your fridge for this hash. I used the left over potatoes, carrots, and onions from last night’s dinner, but if you wanted to throw in some bell peppers or any other nearly expired veggie, by all means go for it. There aren’t any rules here. Use what’s in your fridge, and go with your gut as to making it your own. If you don’t have cooked potatoes, I’d recommend either boiling them to get them soft or microwaving for a few minutes before you start your hash. Here’s a picture of the ingredients as I placed them in the pan, and started their fantastic voyage to crispy town (that’s not a 420 reference, I swear!).
Here’s a picture after about 30 minutes on the stove over medium-high heat. Do you see those nice little brown spots on the corned beef and potatoes? Those little blackened beauties translate into big flavors. Trust me, take your time with this step because the result is sure to impress those taste buds of yours.
I fried up a few eggs, and threw them on top of the hash for our breakfast. Parsley, too, just to be pretty (though it looks like the parsley is close to its prime in these pictures). Green onions would have also been amazing as a garnish. Gosh, that moment when the yolk from the eggs spill through, and soak the hash is pure magic. Why haven’t they invented egg yolks in a spray can for moments like these?
Last up was the Reuben. Ah, the Reuben. A triumphant sandwich with an explosion of flavor. Reubens aren’t a staple in Mexico so the Payaso was unsure of the sauerkraut; let’s just say he opted not to put any on his sandwich. If only I had gotten a picture of that face. Pure disgust. He’s always a good sport when it comes to trying new foods. The remaining corned beef made four sandwiches, which we gobbled up before taking a long, lazy Sunday afternoon nap. The house smells amazing from the wine braised short ribs that I put in the oven at 9:30 a.m. It’s been a perfect weekend of eating good food, and keeping a low profile. Now it’s time to head outside to clean and fill the bird feeders. With degrees in the upper 40s here in Minnesota, the birds are out gorging themselves not unlike ourselves this weekend.
